Unchained
by Clouded-Days
Summary: AU. Bakura is a spirit readmitted to Earth, forced to complete a misson set up by his Master. He needs to find a body in five days, or be banished forever. But as he meets Ryou, his new host who is only seven, it becomes more than just a job to Bakura...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Woo, so I finally got 'Unchained' up! Anyway, with this being the first chapter and all, it's going to be just a little bit sketchy at first, but I have everything planned out already, so it's going to get a lot better, trust me! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

He staggered out of the alleyway, panting. One hand trailed down the brick wall, which was littered with graffiti, his other hand clutching at his arm. Blood rolled through his fingers and down in his arm in a fat, crimson river, and dripped into the white snow at his feet. Behind him, crimson droplets trailed through the snow, creating a near path. And yet, even with the blood, behind him, no footsteps could be seen in the snow.

He shivered inside of his ripped coat, pursing his chapped lips together as a gust of wind ripped through him. He was so cold…

He trudged out of the alleyway, his knees practically knocking together as he trembled in the cold. Blood rolled down his fingertips and dripped into the snow, his head spinning. He had lost too much blood.

Panting, he stopped to lean against the brick wall of one of the now closed shops. He unraveled the frayed and worn scarf from his neck, ignoring the holes. A gust of wind made him shiver as it struck against his revealed throat, and he tried to ignore it. He then unwrapped the thin bandages that were already there, the said wraps not nearly enough, for they had thinned and ripped over the weeks and were now caked in blood.

He stooped down in the snow, the patched section of his jeans about the knees instantly becoming wet. Holding his scarf in one hand, his other, half-gloved hand dove into the fresh, white snow, and pulled out a large sum of the substance. His fingers were pale, tips blue, but he ignored the fact.

Gritting his teeth, he ran the snow over his wound. He cringed in pain, but he needed to get the blood off, and there was no running water around the city he could use. The snow soaked up some of the caked blood, and he whimpered at the pain.

He let the now bloodied handful of snow drop back down into the layers of the substance already covering the ground, and blood flowed down his arm from his now totally reopened wound.

He hoped the thin scarf would be enough to soak up some of the newly fallen blood flow. He desperately pressed the fabric against his wound, panting as his breath appeared in the cold air around him. He tied the black scarf about his bloodied arm as tight as he could, hoping the pressure would help stop the bleeding.

Slowly and agonizingly, he stood up, having to press one hand against the wall for support. His legs shook under him, and for a brief moment he was sure he was going to fall.

He raised his eyes heavenward, staring up into the sky in a hope that he could see the sun to judge the time. But with the snow falling so thickly, it was impossible to see the sun at this point.

_I have to hurry… _His breath became fog before him, and he shivered as he tried to take a step forward, his worn boots dragging through the snow. He didn't feel the snow soaking through his pants and against his legs, nor could he feel his hands or face. He was totally numb.

He stumbled through the ankle-deep snow, vision uncontrollably spinning. He had to stop after a few steps to lean against the wall, breathing deeply as he was overridden with a sick feeling. One bloodied hand pressed over his stomach as bile rose into his throat, and he closed his eyes, forcing himself to swallow it all back down. He couldn't afford to get sick now…

Perfect white teeth chattered as he shivered in the cold, strands of snowy hair being pushed away from his face by the wind. He swore mentally at the conditions around him, and he knew more than likely it was karma coming back on him. _There aren't any people out with the weather like this… And I'm running out of time._

He knew his time was slipping short. He had to find a body, and fast.

He stumbled down the snow-covered road, his hand pressed against the wall to maintain his balance, and his other linked securely about his abdomen, the sickening feeling over him only growing worse with each step.

His vision was wobbling out of control, his knees knocking together. The elements about him were just too much…

Slender legs buckled, and the man broke down entirely, collapsing into the snow face-first. Dark eyes were only half-lidded as his body slammed into the snow, his entire being going senseless. He didn't move at all, not noticing his skin turning an ugly color close to that of frostbite.

_I…failed. _He was too weak to stand back up. He had lost too much blood, and he wasn't anywhere close to being able to tolerate the conditions about him. His vision was darkening, despite the pale white flakes fluttering onto his face.

Dark eyes slid shut as unconsciousness took its turn.

* * *

_Ow… _The seven-year-old nursed his shoulder, nibbling softly on his lip. He rolled up his sleeve, frowning down at the ugly greenish black bruise that had already taken form. _Ushio was really rough today…_

A small hand tightened on the strap of his backpack as he hurried down the snow drenched sidewalk. It was quite dark out as it was, with the snow, but with it being this late in winter, it was growing even dimmer out as the sun was beginning to swap roles with the moon for the evening.

His school didn't release early for snow days that much anymore. In the winter, it always snowed; the only time the students were released ahead of time was if the snowy flakes nearly reached their knees or if there was a chance of a blizzard. Having been released from his school at the exact same time as he was every day, Ryou had started his trip home across town… After Ushio got his hands on his fragile body, anyway.

It was like a routine. Ryou was accustomed to getting beaten up nowadays, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. After it was all said and done, Ryou would just stand up, collect his things, and shuffle home, usually in pain the entire time.

His tiny hands clenched into fists. Sometimes, he just wished things would turn out differently.

Cocking his head upward, Ryou frowned up at the snow, and the rapidly darkening sky. There was no way he would make it home before dark now; he would have to take the short route across the city.

Ryou scampered down the street, before he found what he was looking for. He squeezed his small form into the alleyway between two out of business stores – barely able to fit – and ran down the alley.

By the time he came out the other side, he had woven past many streets, and he was now in the fourth district, where he lived.

He managed to pull himself out of the entrance of the alley, and ran down the sidewalk, hair fluttering behind him in the wind. He shivered inside of his worn jacket; with it growing dark, it was getting even colder, and the snow was thickening. He had to hurry before it got too dark to see.

Ryou blinked suddenly at the sight of a sketchy outline before him. It was small, and it was close to the ground, about the size of an animal. Thinking it was no more than a stray cat or dog, Ryou continued forward, but he halted in his tracks as he grew close enough to see what it really was.

He could see half a body, buried under a thick layer of snow.

Ryou was frozen for a long moment, unsure of what to do. Then, he took a courageous step forward, unsure if whether or not the person was even alive.

He crouched down in the snow next to the body, and began to dust off the fine layer of snow covering the figure. Ryou blinked as the snow was moved out of the person's face; it was like looking at his reflection…

Ryou ignored the fact, and continued to brush the snow away, trying to be as gentle as possible, unsure if whether or not the person was hurt or not. As enough snow was cleared away, Ryou linked his small hands about the man's shoulders, and pushed the body onto its backside.

Ryou froze as he released the man's arm from the clutches of the snow, his huge chocolate eyes catching that of crimson. He eyed the scarf tied about the man's upper arm, and he bit his lip, hard.

With shaking fingers, Ryou untied the thin scarf from the arm of the figure, before he gasped, eyes wide.

Blood rolled down the man's arm in an enormous river then as the pressure was released, gushing out of a wide, gaping hole in the side of his arm. And by the looks of it, the wound was greatly infected.

Ryou stiffened, and reached out. He placed a tiny, pale hand over the man's main vein on the side of his neck, to try to catch that of a pulse or breathing. What scared him, however, was that he didn't hear either.

Ryou leapt back, his eyes wide. If the man was dead, was blood supposed to still be flowing out like that?

He didn't know what to do. There was no one around to call to for help, and he didn't have a cell phone, unlike the other kids in his class. All he could do was sit at the man's side, unsure of how to act.

Then, hesitantly, he reached out with a slender hand, and placed it atop the man's shoulder, giving him a hefty shake. "M… Mister? C-Can you hear me?"

Nothing.

Ryou bit his lip, tears collecting in his eyes. _What do I do? Is he really…dead? Why is he out here by himself?_

Yet, he had no answers.

-

It was as if…there was someone _talking _to him. A voice. But it was… unfamiliar. Alien.

And yet, he could sense the uneasiness. As if the voice was upset over something, worried; yet, he was unsure of what the base of the emotions actually was. Was there a possibility…it was over him?

_That's stupid. _The man didn't feel like getting up, remaining on the cold floor, curled up into a little ball. His eyes were only half-open, however. _I'm like a ghost to these people. As if these humans can actually sense the presence of one or even visually see one…_

_Unless… _He sat up then, cocking his head up in a struggle to see through the darkness about him. _This is what Master was telling me about…_

He winced, hand going to his arm. Even though it wasn't bleeding, it still hurt. He knew that even though he had no wound in this place, his real body was still damaged. It wasn't that hard for him to figure out; after all, it hadn't been the first time he had fainted and found himself in this place…

He had asked his Master about it once. And then he found out it was like a place his consciousness retracted while his 'body' fell into that comatose state, to recover from whatever took its toll.

It still seemed strange to him. Having only been in this condition for a month or so… He still had a lot to learn.

_I need to see who it is, though… Even if I am weak right now…_

* * *

Ryou sniffed weakly, eyes red-rimmed but dry. He was cold, and it was pitch black outside by now, but he couldn't just leave the man here… If anything else, if he was still alive, he would surely freeze to death.

Chocolate eyes widened as the man at his feet suddenly moved. It was just barely a twitch on his face, but Ryou noticed his eyelids flutter. _Then… He isn't dead…? But he wasn't…_

Ryou reached out, and placed two fingers back over the man's jugular vein, breath hitching in his throat. Even now, as the man was awakening, he had no heartbeat. Not only that, but Ryou couldn't feel any signs of breathing, either.

Ryou's heart stilled as the man's eyes cracked halfway open. Ryou recoiled, drawing his hand back quickly. He froze as he noticed the man's eyes opened entirely, but what scared him was that were a striking blood red, like rubies.

The man shifted, lifting his head up off the ground, eyes raising blearily upwards as he noticed a shadow lying over the ridges of his face.

He found himself staring at a child. The boy was sitting on his haunches at his side, staring at him, concerned and afraid. What bothered him, however, was the resemblance he could see between the two of them…

"Mister… Are you all right?" The child suddenly asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "Y… You were just lying in the snow…"

"…Y… Y-Yeah," he croaked. He put weight into his palms, struggling to sit up. His bones popped with the effort, and pain exploded in his wounded arm. He whimpered loudly at this, collapsing back into the snow. _I'm too weak… My body is too damaged to allow me to do anything…_

He didn't feel cold anymore, even as he laid facedown in the snow. He was completely numb, except for his still bloody wound. He automatically reached out towards his arm, noticing the scarf was gone, and clutched the spot almost protectively. It_ hurt…_

"Mister… What happened to you?" The child asked, his chocolate eyes wide. "Y… Your arm is all…messed up."

"I…got into…a f-fight," he choked out in between pants. That wasn't exactly the truth…but it wasn't a full-fledged lie, either.

The man tried to sit up, gasping at the pain. He blinked as he felt hands upon his arms in an attempt to help. He glanced questioningly at the child, who was the source of the touch. "W… What…are…?"

"Y-You're really weak. Y… You can't even sit up by yourself," the little boy said, stripping himself of his wool coat. "And you're just about blue, mister. H-How long have you been out here?"

_He's too naïve. _He thought, sitting hunched over in the snow. He was numb entirely, and he looked down at his hands. His fingers were growing close to purple… How long _had _he been unconscious before the kid found him?

He blinked down the child as he draped the wool coat about his trembling form. His skin began to near burn then as warmth was beginning to return, and he gritted his teeth with pain. He kept his hand encircled about his arm, blood oozing between his fingers. "Kid… Y-You need that c-coat…more than m-me-"

"Mister… You're gonna die out here without a jacket," the kid stated, frowning up at him. "The one you have now…it's got a bunch of holes. And you don't have a hat, or actual gloves…"

He just snorted as a response, rolling his eyes. But deep down, he _was _grateful for the child sharing like this…

"…Kid… W-Who…are you?" He asked, his teeth still chattering somewhat.

"I'm Ryou," the boy answered, giving a weary smile whilst pointing to himself, before he glanced up at the man again. "Who are _you?"_

"…I…" He was unsure of how to answer. After all, his Master said not to give out his real name… _But this kid can actually see me… He might be the one…! _"I… I-I'm B-Bakura."

"That's a funny name," the child said, letting out a giggle. "So… What're you doing out here while it's all cold out?"

"…I don't really…h-have anywhere else to go to," he confessed, lowering his gaze. The kid's chocolate eyes were so innocent and curious, he felt like he was tainting him.

"…Me neither," the child whispered, sounding upset. "Mum and Amane are gone, and Daddy is missing… I don't have any friends, other than Malik-kun…"

Bakura felt like someone just plunged a knife into his stomach then. A little boy, having to experience so much tragedy and unhappiness…

"…Unless…" The boy grinned happily. "Kura, will you be my friend?"

"…W-Why are you asking me?" He asked, a snowy eyebrow raising in question. "Kid, you b-barely know me-"

"B-But… You don't seem to have a friend either…" Ryou's expression saddened. "I… I w-was hoping you would wanna have a friend… So… Will you? Pretty please?" he asked hopefully, tilting his head up stare the man in the face.

"…I…I g-guess," he answered quietly, unsure of what the boy meant.

Ryou suddenly extended one hand, holding up one finger. "You gotta pinky promise!" His eyes were twinkling, a big, happy smile on his face.

Bakura blinked once, before extending one hand, and linked his own pinky finger about Ryou's. "L… Like this?"

Ryou beamed happily, "Yeah! Now we're gonna be best friends, and then I'll let you meet Malik-kun, and you can be his friend too!"

Bakura nodded slowly. _This kid is a strange one… Maybe he's just starving for love? He probably wants to know someone actually cares about him, since he doesn't really have anyone…_

"Kura? Where do you live?" The boy asked suddenly, tugging on his jacket sleeve. His eyes were still glimmering with that childish innocence…

"…N-Nowhere," he answered, curling up in a ball inside the coat. He would've put it on, but it was much too small for him. "And my n-name is 'Bakura'."

"I like Kura better," the child said, pouting. His facial expression remained somewhat upset, though, as he realized the rest of Bakura's words. "Wait… What do you mean, you don't live anywhere? D-Don't you have a home, o-or a family?"

"…No," he answered softly, avoiding his gaze. "I guess…w-we're one in the same, a-aren't we?"

"Yeah…" Suddenly, Ryou beamed. "Wait, how about… You can come stay at my house?" he asked, eyes hopeful.

"Listen k-kid," he stammered, teeth chattering as he shook about the tiny, wool jacket. "Y-You and I barely k-know each other. W-Why would you trust me s-so much that y-you'd invite me to stay with you in y-your house?"

"…I trust you." The boy answered simply, his small lips twitching into a smile. The little albino jumped to his feet, ignoring the big wet spots staining his small pants from the snow. "Come on. I can show you where I live!"

"K-Kid… I can't even sit up b-by myself… And y-you're expecting me to _walk _to y-your house?"

"…Oh." Ryou pouted as he plopped back down on the snowy sidewalk at Bakura's side. "I forgot…"

"_But…" _Ryou perked up at the man's words, eyes wide as he stared at Bakura. "There is… one way…"

"How?" Ryou asked, eyes wide and curious, obviously willing to do whatever the man said.

"Well…" The man rubbed at his wound in an attempt to keep his blood circulating. "I don't know if y-you realize this or not, but… I'm not exactly… L-Like you people. I don't…"

"You don't have a heartbeat," Ryou finished for him, eyes glimmering with confusion. "And you don't breathe, either… So… What exactly are you?"

"A spirit." Bakura's lips twisted in a bitter smile. "And it t-turns out… You're the only person I've met here that can actually see me or touch me."

"Is that good?" Ryou asked, eyes wide and confused.

"For me," Bakura said quietly. "Because… W-Well… My _boss… _H-He's ordered me to find a body in five days flat. T-Today is my last day, and if I don't f-find a body, I…"

"What'll happen to you?" Ryou whispered, eyes growing even bigger.

"I… I'll be banished. It's a…really long and confusing process, so I don't think you'd understand…" Bakura sighed heavily. "Let's…just say I won't be around anymore-"

"Then… You're basically gonna die all over again?" Ryou murmured, eyes huge on his little, rounded face. "W-What can I do to help you?"

_Perfect. _Bakura smiled, just slightly as he scooted towards the boy, "You can allow me to share your body… Then you wouldn't ever lose me, and trust me, Ryou, we'd be near each other all the time. You wouldn't ever be lonely…"

Ryou's eyes grew bright with hope, "R… Really, Kura?"

"Yes, really," Bakura murmured, reaching out with bloodied fingers and twisted a lock of Ryou's snowy hair about his fingertip. "So… What do you think?"

"I'll do it!" Ryou said happily, beaming. "'Cause then we'll always be friends and I won't _ever _be alone."

Bakura cracked the slightest of grins.

"So… Kura… How exactly do we share a body?" Ryou asked, puzzled. "And how is it gonna get you to my house?"

"Well… I can handle the whole body issue, don't worry. After that… Well… Since we're two people inside one body, I can just walk us home while you take a little break. Does that make any sense?"

Ryou sat there for a long moment, before he nodded, smiling wide. "Okay. I get it! But… Can I ask you something, first?"

"What is it?" Bakura asked, stripping off the wool coat and handing it back to the child, who took it back without question.

"Um… Is it gonna hurt?" Ryou asked, chocolate eyes glimmering with fear.

"…A little," Bakura confessed, and shot him a reassuring smile. "But don't worry, it will only last a minute or so."

"…Okay." Ryou relaxed somewhat. "So what do I do?"

"Just stay still for me, and I can take care of the rest, okay?" Bakura said, crawling towards the child, who was staring excitedly at him with bright, curious eyes. _I guess this kid being so naïve and rotting from lack of love and compassion is a good thing on my part…_

He reached out and placed a hand on the boy's forehead, his expression blank. "Okay, Ryou. I hope you're ready…"

* * *

Chapter 1: End.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yeah this update took a while also... The good thing is now I can get started on the Christmas story I told you guys about! :) Also... For this fic, it's mainly a brotherly/friendship relationship, so yeah. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Ryou nodded, just once, his chocolate eyes locked with Bakura's pale, angular face as the man's palm tightened upon his forehead. Bakura's eyes slimmed down, "Just…stay still."

Ryou's eyes widened as a small, almost black glow began about Bakura's palms. In instinct, the child tried to pull away, but the fingers of Bakura's free hand merely wrapped about the boy's arm, holding him still. "K-Kura…"

"Shh," Bakura whispered, his grip growing tighter. "Just be quiet for me."

It was then the little glow of light dissolved about Ryou's forehead. The child's eyes widened as pain suddenly erupted in his temples, and he jerked back, letting out a hoarse cry, tears coming with the pain.

Bakura growled softly as Ryou started to squirm in his hold. Frustrated, Bakura drew the boy close and into his lap, using his legs to keep the child still as he wrapped them about his middle. Then, with one hand still on the boy's head, he used his free hand to cover the boy's mouth as Ryou's cries began to increase.

"It'll get worse before it gets better… But it will stop, very soon, I promise," Bakura whispered into the upset child's ear. But with the grim look in his eyes, it was obvious that was a lie.

Suddenly, Ryou screamed behind the man's hand. Tears rolled down the child's chubby face as he released loud, heart-breaking sobs and upset noises as the pain erupted inside of him. His vision was blurry and he could see only a rough outline of Bakura's face before him. He felt weak…

And just as quickly as it started, it stopped. His vision began to darken almost instantly, and Ryou's eyes fluttered in a desperate attempt to stay awake.

Bakura's lips drew into a thin line as Ryou fainted, slumping in his arms. Bakura cradled the body gently, before lying him on his back in the snow. Little flakes of white collected on the boy's face and eyelashes, and melting on his lips.

Bakura closed his eyes, and sucked in a nervous breath. He needed to get inside of the boy's body before he woke up.

Focusing as much energy as he could, Bakura's figure began to dissolve from sight then, and it vanished in the dark as the spirit made a retreat.

* * *

_His soul is a strange one. _Bakura mused as he stood in the entranceway of his own room. He was left staring at the open silver door of the child's own room. Through the dark of the little bedroom, Bakura could see a small, white-painted bed, with a small figure tucked under the cheerful coverlet. There was a somewhat pained expression on the child's face as he slept, however, Bakura noticed.

He could easily pick out the little details of the room in the darkness. There were three pictures framed and hung above the bed. One of which Bakura noticed was obviously a family photograph. The other was of a boy no older than nine, with dusty blonde hair that framed his face and trailed down a neck colored caramel. Apparently the friend Ryou had spoken of. The final one, which was a bit disturbing to Bakura, was a photo of himself. The spirit's photo hung underneath them all, all his features intact.

Toys littered the colorful carpet, some of which were broken. There was a little desk near the window, which was on the other side of the room, which was littered with pictures, obviously of which the child himself had drawn.

Bakura smiled weakly to himself as he glanced over his shoulder and into his own room. It was like the exact opposite.

The bed was black and nearly bare, and the drapes were always pulled over the window, allowing no other light in. The floor was dusty and an ugly grey color, and the colorless walls were bare.

Suddenly, he heard a moan. His gaze snapped back into the direction of the child's little soul room, and Bakura noticed the tiny boy was awakening.

He quickly forced himself out of the rooms, as if to take control of the boy's body. Instead, he rematerialized in the real world, beside the child's sleeping form. It was what his Master referred to as a false form. He could use it to become visible to his host, and interact, although he had no forms of control in this position.

The seven-year-old's eyes cracked open then, an unfocused chocolate shade. Then, they eased open a little more, until they were entirely focused. The boy's eyes cleared up, obviously as he began to realize he was being ripped out of a fit of slumber. The little albino blinked once, before trying to sit up. As he did so, his eyes locked with Bakura's crimson ones, and he frowned up at the man.

"Hey," Bakura said in a weak greeting, forcing himself to smile. He could sense the boy was upset, even angry. Then again, he couldn't blame the kid…

"You lied to me," Ryou grumbled unhappily, folding his little arms over his torso, and puffed out his chest a little in a pout. "You said it was only gonna hurt a little bit. That hurt a _lot."_

"I'm sorry, Ryou, I didn't think it would hurt that badly," Bakura replied in an attempt of reassurance. "It's just…well… When I did that, another soul was being forced into you, you know? It had to hurt. It was like you were being ripped in two, but it was because I was being sucked into your mind, basically-"

"Wait a second," Ryou interrupted, scowling now in confusion. "If you're inside of me… Why are you out here where I can see you?"

"Well… Where I'm from, we call it a false form. I'm still inside of your head, but I can come out in a fake body to talk to you. You can't touch me, though, and you're the only one that can see me. Does that make any sense?"

"I think so," Ryou replied, frowning as he took a glance around. "Why am I in my room? I thought we were…"

"I told you earlier," Bakura stated as he folded his arms over his chest, hovering a few inches above the floor. "I would take control of your body and walk us home-"

"But I didn't tell you where I lived!" Ryou protested as he crawled out from under the blankets and clambered to the edge of the small bed, where Bakura floated. "H-How did you find the way?"

"…Well…" Bakura glided over, and seemed to take a seat next to Ryou, but even then, his body didn't touch the mattress, and he hovered a mere inch or so over the bedding, "After we joined, I didn't just inhabit your body, you know. I can also read your mind, pry into your thoughts and memories… It's a power I was taught earlier. But over time, you can learn to put barricades up so that I can't read into your thoughts, and the same goes for me."

"So it's like some special power you have?" Ryou asked curiously, eyes wide and sparkling with innocence. "Then… What am I thinking right now?"

"You're wondering how I can float like this," Bakura answered, the corners of his mouth twitching into a slight grin. "It's because I'm a spirit, kid. Remember?"

Ryou nodded, the child sitting back on his rear, eyes wide in size locked with Bakura's, "How did you learn all this stuff, Kura?"

Bakura pursed his lips, eyes raising heavenward, "Well… For now, let's just say I had someone teach me a lot about myself."

"Will I be able to do any of the stuff you can do?" Ryou asked, leaning forward, palms splayed over the coverlet.

"Eventually. But you'll have to go through a lot practice first," Bakura stated as he smiled, just slightly. The kid was just so enthusiastic…

Ryou seemed a little disappointed at the man's answer, however, his shoulders slumping, "…Okay."

"Now go to sleep. It's really late. We'll talk more in the morning," Bakura said softly, gliding off of the bed to let the child have his space. It was then his false body began to vanish from sight, but he paused in the process at a voice.

"W-Wait!" Ryou reached out in an attempt to grab Bakura's shirt, but his fingers only went straight through the man. "Kura…"

"What?" Bakura asked as he turned to stare at the child.

"C… Can you stay just a little longer?" he asked hopefully, small hands clutching the blankets. "Please?"

"…I guess?" Bakura raised a snowy eyebrow as he drifted back towards the bed, this time seating himself at the very end of the mattress to give Ryou plenty of room. "But just until you fall asleep. I have to get some rest too, you know."

Ryou smiled at the slightly hovering form of the pale man, beaming as he snuggled under the sheets.

Bakura was unsure of how much time passed before he heard the child's breathing deepen noticeably, signaling that of sleep. It was then Bakura got up from the bed, and floated easily over to the child. He stared down at the tender little form of Ryou for a long moment, before reaching out in an attempt to touch him, his hand only going through the child.

Bakura sighed softly, and closed his eyes. The spirit's body vanished from the bedroom as he went back into Ryou's mind.

He reappeared in the doorway of his soul room, and he smiled to himself as he stared across the small hallway and gazed distantly into the child's room, seeing the tiny form curled up in bed.

He chuckled softly to himself as he turned on his heel, and drifted into his soul room, quietly closing the door after himself. _Sleep well, Ryou._

* * *

Crimson eyes slid open at that moment, light slicing across his face in thin slivers. Bakura moaned slightly, his body shivering somewhat under the covers-

_Wait. _Bakura scowled as he looked down. His hands were pale and so…_tiny. _He found himself lying under an overly cheerful blanket, but he was still cold. _…Oh. I'm inside the kid's body…_

Bakura stared down at himself. Ryou's form, to say the least, was one of the strangest ones. It was so small and fragile, Bakura feared he would break one of the child's bones or something if he screwed up. Not only that, but it was hard to move, for the child's body was so tiny and still had short, undeveloped limbs, and he wasn't accustomed to it.

_Ugh. _Bakura flopped back down on the bed upon his back, raising his eyes towards the cream colored ceiling. _This is just so weird…_

He blinked as he felt a little tingling sensation in the back of his mind. He frowned as it strengthened significantly, and, curious, he dropped control of the child's body, and rematerialized at the bedside.

A little choked moaning sound bubbled over Ryou's lips, and Bakura smirked slightly. _I guess that was him I felt just then… He was trying to regain his control without speaking to me._

Chocolate eyes blearily opened, and Ryou blinked once, confused. The child sat upright, rubbing at one eye. He noticed Bakura, who floated at his bedside, his crimson eyes locked onto his figure. "Hmm? Kura? How long have you been up?"

"Only a few minutes," the man answered.

Ryou watched in a slight awe as Bakura stretched out his limbs, and turned in the air to make it seem like he was lying on his back. What still made Ryou so interested was that Bakura's form continued to hover, even in the strange position. It was as if he was lying on his back on invisible water… "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Bakura asked, opening one of his crimson eyes whilst turning his head to stare at the child.

"I… I know you're a spirit and everything, but… How come you all of a sudden started floating? I mean, when I first met you, you always stayed on the ground…" Ryou's large, chocolate eyes were narrowed with confusion. "I don't get it."

"It's because I was granted a body," Bakura replied, sitting up. "When you saw me before, that was my actual form. This…" he motioned to himself, grinning somewhat, "is a mere shell of my real self. A false body. The real me is still inside of you, remember that. But I can make a false shell appear on the outside world, only for you to see. And because it isn't a real body, it can't do things a real body can, like to touch or sleep. I have to be back inside of you to do all those things, you understand?"

Ryou nodded once, slowly. Then, a big smile came over his lips, "So I'll be able to do that too, someday?"

"Yes, kid. But I told you, you'll need lots of practice before you can even _make _a false form. It just takes time."

"Okay," Ryou answered softly, obviously let down by the conversation.

And then, there was silence. Bakura stole a glance at the small alarm clock set up on Ryou's bedside table, and frowned at the red numbers. _Ten-thirty? I'm usually up way before now… Maybe it was because my body had to heal?_

Ryou blinked up at the man, and followed Bakura's gaze to the little black clock. The child's eyes widened at the glowing numbers, and he leapt out of bed suddenly, running out of the room and into the hall.

"Ryou?" Bakura called, drifting out of the room and gliding easily through the hall. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm gonna be late!" Ryou's voice came from down the hallway, and Bakura followed it. He stopped before one of the doors, hearing the sound of running water.

Bakura sighed as he closed his eyes, and vanished from sight. It was seconds before he reappeared on the other side of the bathroom door, rematerializing in the corner. "What are you talking about?"

Ryou jumped, not having noticed Bakura's entrance. He turned to stare at the man for a brief moment, before turning back to the cracked mirror, a brush in one hand, "I'm supposed to be at Malik-kun's today, but I forgot to set the alarm clock. I'm gonna be late…"

"I don't think he'll mind that much," Bakura murmured, folding his arms about his chest, careful of the bandages tied tightly about his arm. He had cleaned and dressed the wound after he had made it to Ryou's home, but even then, he was sure the injury had become infected. "Just tell him what happened."

Ryou nodded, now in the middle of brushing his teeth.

Bakura watched the boy with a mild interest. Ryou quickly finished the process and ripped the door open, and darted out of the bathroom and back in the direction of his bedroom.

Bakura stood calmly in the doorway of the bathroom, arm crossed with a slight twinge of a smirk on his lips. Ryou emerged from his bedroom a minute or so afterwards, dressed in a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, currently tugging on his coat. The child raced down the hall and past Bakura, going as fast as he could into the living room, taking a brief moment to grab his hat and gloves, and put on his shoes.

He quickly locked the door, and closed it, and Bakura could hear his footsteps thundering against the icy steps.

The spirit glided quickly over to the door, and went straight through it with ease, finding himself on the front porch. He could see Ryou, the child sprinting down the icy sidewalk the best he could, but he was having a very difficult time, by the looks of it.

Bakura grumbled to himself, floating down the set of ice-coated stairs and down onto the sidewalk. He glided after Ryou, the child running through the thick amount of snow and against the cold wind lashing against his arms. The spirit easily caught up, for Ryou was having a very hard time making his way through the near knee-deep snow. "Ryou. You need to slow down before you fall. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But…" Ryou looked up, snow having collected on the fabric of his striped hat, and along his eyelashes. "B-But Malik-kun is-"

"I'm sure he knows how deep the snow is," Bakura interrupted, arms folded across his chest, choosing to hover at Ryou's side. "Take your time. Why are you in such a rush, anyway?"

A saddened expression came over Ryou's face then, and he looked down at the ground as he attempted to take another step, "Malik-kun… Today is his last day here… I'm not gonna get another chance to talk to him…"

"Where is he going?" Bakura asked curiously, raising a snowy eyebrow.

"To Egypt," Ryou mumbled unhappily. "And not just over Christmas break. He's not gonna come back until two years from now…"

Bakura blinked as Ryou began to shake, a sniffle emitting from the upset child. "Hey… It's okay. I'm sure time will go by quicker than you think-"

"No it won't," Ryou whispered, a tear trailing down the left side of his rounded face. "Malik-kun and his sister have to go live with their brother Rishid in Egypt for two years, and Malik-kun is gonna be home-schooled until he comes back… He's gonna forget about me, Kura… I don't want to forget him…"

Bakura, curiously, opened the barricade he had set up on his mind to separate their thoughts from each other. He instantly regretted this, however, as an ocean of misery poured into his brain from Ryou's. He quickly closed the link back up, not wanting to experience so much pain at once. "Ryou… It's going to be okay. You have me now… Right?"

Ryou sniffled weakly, "I… I guess so. B-But…you'll probably just leave me too. I don't wanna be alone, Kura, I don't…"

Bakura opened his mouth to object, but he froze as he felt a shiver flow down his backside. He realized then that there was danger, always getting that little tremble along his spine during trouble.

"Kura? What's wrong?" Ryou asked, looking up at the spirit. "Kura?"

"Hurry. Get out of the open, there's someone watching us," Bakura said hurriedly, trying to shoo Ryou away and towards the buildings.

"B-But I don't understand!" Ryou protested as he stumbled through the snow. "What are you talking about-"

Ryou froze as a shadow suddenly fell over him, and he gulped, tilting his head upwards, going numb in fear. "U… Ushio…? W-When did you…? W-What are you…?"

"He must have been watching from one of the alleyways,"Bakura whispered from his place beside Ryou. He growled softly, floating closer to Ryou as a means of reassurance. He heard Ryou whimper, despite his attempts.

"Who were you talking to, kid?" The upperclassman scowled down at the small boy, who was literally shaking before him. "Seems everyone is right, saying you're crazy…"

"I'm not crazy," Ryou protested softly. He whimpered as the teenager grabbed him by the collar of his sweatshirt, dark eyes narrowed. "U-Ushio, p-please, put me down-"

Bakura's breath hitched in his throat as Ryou screamed, the child's head turning against the force of a powerful slap. Ryou instantly broke down into tears, the seven-year-old kicking as he struggled to pull free.

Bakura growled loudly as the bully threw Ryou down into the snow. The child landed on his side, loud sobs spilling over his lips at the impact. "Ryou. Ryou, get up. Don't let him take advantage of you," the spirit commanded, crouching down at Ryou's side.

The child lifted his head, a nasty red mark covering his cheek. "K-Kura…"

"Who are you talking to?!" Ushio roared, a large hand wrapping about Ryou's throat suddenly as the taller of the two yanked the boy off the ground.

Ryou gasped, tears trailing down his cheeks. He kicked weakly, trying to get free, and his chocolate eyes widened, filled with pure terror as Ushio's hands tightened about his throat, choking him.

Bakura growled, fists clenching at his sides as he watched the much larger boy pull back a hand, which curled into a fist. He wouldn't sit around and watch the child get beaten around like a rag doll.

Ryou was shaking as the hands grew tighter. He couldn't breathe. He raised his eyes blearily up to the upperclassman, tears trickling from his terrified chocolate eyes. _H-Help… S-Someone…_

Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his mind. The child stopped fighting to ponder it, and his eyes widened as everything suddenly began to grow dark.

Ushio frowned down at Ryou as the child suddenly wilted in his hands, unconscious. _…Huh. The kid's never actually passed out before…_

He was about to throw Ryou down when suddenly, the boy sucked in a large breath, and raised his head. However, Ushio sensed there was something wrong when the child actually stared him in the eye, a strange glint in suddenly crimson orbs. _Were his eyes always blood red like that?_

Bakura growled in Ushio's grip. He had forced his way into Ryou, and had taken control without the boy's permission. Bakura knew this was against the rules his Master told him about, but now, he didn't have a choice. He growled low in his throat. _I need to protect Ryou._

"Let go of me," the spirit growled softly, eyes narrowing to near slits as he wrapped a tiny hand about the bigger man's, "or you'll regret it."

"Who do you think you're talking to, you little brat?!" The teenager screamed, drawing back a fist.

There was a sickening noise as the blow collided. The taller of the two dropped the boy into the snow, and Bakura sat there for a long moment, before he tenderly touched his jaw, pain racing along the very bone, before his fingers touched his lips as he released a little cough.

Blood dribbled over his lips, his saliva tainted with the crimson substance.

Bakura growled as he rose to his feet, ignoring the blood racing down his chin and the harsh, vicious pounding in his jawbone. His fists clenched at his sides, eyes darkening, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

Chapter 2: End.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I've been busy. Also, as a little note for this chapter, it's more than likely going to confuse you. I intended that a little bit, actually. But all of it will be cleared up with time.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura could taste blood.

He wiped unconsciously at his mouth with the back of one small hand, a rather fat stream of blood rolling down his chin. He could already feel bruises forming under the skin, and internally, he was a little concerned. He wasn't trying to get Ryou in only more pain, but he was at a disadvantage, possessing a small body. He was unaccustomed to how the child's body could move. Obviously, the kid wasn't as agile or a great fighter, for Bakura was a greatly difficult time fighting back. However, he did manage to land a few blows over the course of the fight.

"Since when did you grow a spine, brat? You should know better than to pick a fight with me by now."

Bakura staggered as the blow came, the fist striking harshly against his stomach. Quickly, however, he grabbed Ushio's hand before the upperclassman could pull away.

Another blow came directly to Bakura, smashing into his being, the most he did was stagger. The spirit merely released a weak shudder and nothing more. His small hands tightened about Ushio's arm, however, Bakura panting as his fingers wrapped tightly about that of a thick wrist.

Bakura, swiftly, swept out, his foot kicking roughly against the back of the man's kneecap. Ushio's knees buckled at this, and without hesitation, Bakura took a few steps to the side, pulling the man's arm back and twisting it around to his backside, pinning it down. Satisfaction rippled through Bakura's veins as he began to feel the man trembling. "Had enough?"

Bakura smirked, blood that wasn't truly his – but Ryou's – coppery upon his tongue as he licked at his bloodstained lips. He pushed the muscles further as he pinned the arm back even further, his leer growing wider in size as a crack reached his ears.

With a rough shove, Bakura threw the teenager to the snow-covered ground harshly. Bakura wiped at his mouth again, crimson rubbing onto his fingers. He kicked the body harshly, a snarl suddenly causing his nose to wrinkle in disgust. He crouched down, and hissed into the larger boy's ear, "If you _ever _come near Ryou again, I will _kill _you, understand? You're lucky I didn't cut you to ribbons on the spot," he hissed, crimson eyes slimming as his foot connected with the man's ribcage. Bakura couldn't help but sneer at the man's cry, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

Bakura shoved his hands into the wool coat he was wearing, and turned on his heel, merely leaving the man there in the snow. He licked at his lips again, the taste of blood strong on his tongue: Ryou's blood_._

Bakura sighed to himself as he struggled through the snow, cursing at the body he was inhabiting, not accustomed to it at all. _I hope he won't be angry with me when he resurfaces for getting him beaten up a bit…_

Bakura paused, searching the mind they shared for Ryou's presence. He could barely sense it, the sensation in the back of his mind not nearly as demanding as usual. _He must be weak, not trying to take control. But his consciousness is obviously just beneath the surface, because I can still feel him…_

Experimentally, Bakura dropped his control, and separated himself from the body the two of them shared, materializing in his false form. He watched, mute, as the knees of the body buckled, and for a split second, Bakura was sure his host was going to collapse. Then, there was the sound of air being sucked into the boy's lungs, and Ryou jerked upwards as he regained control. He straightened up, blinking once as he tenderly touched his still slightly bleeding jaw. He looked questioningly up at Bakura, eyes confused, "Kura…? What happened? W-Why does it hurt?"

"I'm sorry," Bakura said gently, floating closer to the child. "I tried to protect you, but I got hit a few times. I shouldn't have tried to-"

"You… You actually protected me?" Ryou asked, all previous thoughts forgotten. Eyes that of chocolate locked with crimson, and Ryou tilted his head upwards to stare entirely into the man's face. "Why? It's not like anyone likes me-"

"I do," Bakura interrupted, his crimson eyes unblinking as he folded his arms about his chest. "I don't see why these people pick on you so much; you're sweet and compassionate and all you want to be is their friend. Why would I have something against you, Ryou?"

Ryou looked down at the snow-covered ground, biting his lip as he tugged at his jacket sleeve, "It… It's just that people…" Ryou squeezed his eyes shut, tears swelling in the chocolate orbs, "It's just that people always have to lie, Kura."

Teardrops dribbled down Ryou's rounded face, burying his face into his hands. He was sobbing harshly, the fabric of his gloves warm against his face as he cried.

Bakura was mute for a long moment, before he exhaled heavily. _This doesn't make sense. Is the reason he's picked on because he's so naïve, or… Is there more to the story Ryou is keeping to himself?_

"I-I'm sorry," Ryou finally choked out through his tears as he shakily looked up, the crystal drops still flowing down his bruised cheeks. "P-Please… D-Don't be mad, I didn't-"

"Why would I be angry?" Bakura whispered gently, crouching down onto his knees so that he was eye level with the boy. Ryou sniffled harshly, looking down at the man with big, tear-filled eyes. "Ryou… Why would I be mad?"

"E-Everyone always gets mad when I cry," Ryou choked out, his gloved fingers burying into the fabric of his jacket as he clung to it, as if for reassurance. "T-They say c-crying is for weaklings-"

"That isn't true," Bakura murmured, gazing into hurting chocolate orbs. "Ryou… It's okay to cry. There's nothing wrong with it, no matter who you are. I mean… Even I cry sometimes."

"Y-You do?" Ryou whispered to the man kneeling before him, blinking back tears. "B-But…"

"Ryou, I told you, it doesn't matter if you cry or not. No one is perfect, and crying… Well… It just shows you have a heart." Bakura cocked his head just slightly to the side as he flashed Ryou a smile, revealing his abnormally large canines. "Apparently, you just have a really big heart in there, and there's nothing wrong with that at all, okay?"

"O-Okay," Ryou murmured through his tears, wiping at his eyes with a small, gloved hand. "T-Thanks, Kura."

With a curt nod, Bakura stood back up, and turned on his heel, beginning to drift away. "Come on. You're already late, kid. You might want to hurry."

"O-Oh!" Ryou struggled to keep up with the spirit, who floated harmlessly above the snow-covered ground. "I… I forgot…"

"I know. Don't worry yourself." Bakura paused to let Ryou keep up, before the spirit began to glide along at the boy's heels. "I'm sure he'll understand."

* * *

"I'm so late," Ryou wailed as he stumbled up the metal staircase, his gloved hand trailing up the black handrail. "Malik-kun is probably gonna be so upset…"

Bakura was mute as he floated up the stairs at Ryou's side, curious. Yet, he tried to keep his wonders to himself; time would show the answers when the time was right. At least that's what his Master always said…

"Okay, um, 317…" Ryou wandered down the outer corridor, gazing at the silver plates drilled into the front doors of the apartments. Bakura followed, gliding above the floor. As Ryou stopped before the wood door of an apartment, the spirit too stopped, looking down at Ryou as the child brought up a small fist to knock upon the door.

Bakura opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as he looked down at Ryou. The child was beaming uncontrollably, chocolate eyes glimmering with happiness only the innocent knew…

Then, the sound of footsteps greeted Bakura's ears. The spirit remained silent at the child's side as the door clicked open, and he heard a little squeal escape from Ryou's lips as it happened.

"Ryou-kun!" All Bakura saw at that moment was a flash of golden as someone rushed out from the apartment and rushed over to the little albino. Bakura gazed, silent, as the blonde flung his body against Ryou's, arms laced about his neck, the two of them practically crushed together. Ryou laughed as the force caused him to stumble slightly, and a glow of happiness seemed to flush out his other emotions, completely flooding him.

It was then that the child pulled away that Bakura captured a complete view of the little blonde. A mess of sandy and yet somewhat golden hair, bangs somewhat covering his large, glimmering lavender eyes and flowing down the back of his neck, skin colored a shade of caramel. He was dressed in a pale purple t-shirt, hidden halfway by his black coat and scarf.

"Ryou-kun, what took you? I was starting to think you weren't gonna to show up," the one cried, a pout overtaking his previously ecstatic features.

"I'm sorry, Malik-kun, but it was just so hard to get through the snow," Ryou replied, but even then, there was still a big smile on the child's pale face, stretching a mile. "But that didn't mean I wouldn't come to see you."

The blonde, Malik, flashed a large smile as he laced an arm about Ryou's thin shoulders, "I'm glad. Come on inside, it's cold out here."

Bakura was silent as he watched Ryou go inside, the little blonde friend of his keeping the albino literally glued to his side. Yet, Ryou seemed so happy…

The spirit easily passed through the door, and rematerialized on the other side of the wooden structure. He stopped in the entranceway of the apartment, however, as he studied the area about him.

The two children were in the kitchen, which adjoined with the small living room. In the distance of the hall, Bakura could see more doors, closed, to keep their secrets hidden. He could see the two children seated at the kitchen table. Bakura blinked at this, and decided to remain a part of the background for the time being.

Ryou held his mug in his hands, gloves having been taken by now. A little cloud of steam was rising from the thick chocolaty substance, the cup warm in his hands. He smiled at Malik, who was already drinking his own hot chocolate, legs kicking absently as he occasionally sipped at it.

"Malik-kun… When are you guys leaving?" Ryou asked softly, raising his chocolate eyes from the blue container in his small hands to look at his friend.

"Tonight," the blonde replied, shrugging. "We gotta pack everything up and get everything else cleared up before we go to the airport."

"O-Oh." Ryou's face fell, fingers tightly squeezing the ceramic mug. "Y-You'll… You'll still talk to me until you come back, though… Right?"

"Well, I won't be able to talk to you everyday like I do now, but I'll still call you and everything," Malik flashed a smile. "I won't forget about you, you should know that by now."

"I just… I don't wanna say goodbye," Ryou murmured, sadness lacing his voice, eyes somewhat teary as he stared down at his still cooling drink in his hands. "I don't wanna say goodbye to anyone else… M-Mum, A-Amane… D-Daddy… I don't wanna lose anyone else, Malik-kun…"

_Poor kid. Having to deal with it all this early in his lifespan… _The thoughts occurred almost instantly in Bakura's brain as Ryou began to cry, teardrops cascading down porcelain skin as he clutched the blue ceramic cup tighter. _I don't think he realizes that we're one in the same… We've both lost a lot of things, and even after all these years… It still hurts._

Bakura watched, mute, his crimson eyes locked on the pair. He noticed with a mild interest, however, that Malik's eyes seemed suddenly darker, blanker.

"I'm not gonna forget you," Malik replied, although, his voice sounded rushed. "I promise, Ryou, I won't-"

"Yes, you will," Ryou whimpered, hurt and afraid beneath the surface. "E-Everyone does. I-I told you, y-you're the only friend I still have, Malik-kun… I-I… I don't wanna lose anyone else." Ryou was practically sobbing, a new wave of tears starting up.

"Ryou, please, I don't-" Malik had risen from his chair, but he halted in the process, a gasp passing his lips as his eyes widened.

Ryou looked up at this, eyes widening as Malik's eyes rolled backwards. The child's knees began to give out, and Ryou leapt from his chair on instinct, "Malik-kun!"

However, Ryou froze as a large gasping sound passed through the blonde, and he jerked back into an upright position, eyes snapping back open from their previous position of being half-lidded. But what disturbed Ryou is that not only were they not as wide and innocent, but they were a darker shade than the lavender color they used to be.

"M… Malik…kun?" Ryou whispered, eyes wide. Tiny rivulets of tears continued to spill from his eyes, but he didn't even notice it.

Then, the boy scowled, folding his arms across his chest, "Would you mind keeping it down, at all? You humans are so _loud. _Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep with all this racket, and having your host's emotions becoming a constant disruption?" he growled, eyes narrowing.

"M-Malik-kun, what are you talking about?" Ryou choked out, heart pounding in fear. He didn't understand, and this person… This wasn't the Malik he knew. This person… This person seemed alien.

"I'm not Malik, you idiot. Isn't it obvious?" he snarled, eyes narrowing further. "He's weak, amused by the littlest things. Do I _look _like him to you?"

Ryou whimpered as the blonde reached out and seized his arm, squeezing harshly with bony fingers. "M-Malik-kun! S-Stop it!"

Bakura was frozen, rooted to his spot at the front door as he watched the scene play out before him. There was a nagging in the back of his brain, screaming at him to act, but Bakura couldn't. He wasn't able to move, limbs numb and his eyes locked on the blonde child. _No. No, this isn't… This isn't possible…!_

"M-Malik-kun-" Ryou choked on a sob as the fingernails dug into his arm, and he cried out as he was shoved backwards so that his back was resting against the ridge of the tabletop. "Malik-kun, _stop!"_

"I told you, I'm not Malik!" he roared, sizing up, a fist drawn back. Ryou, beneath him, released a weak sob as he struggled to break free. "And I'm sick of you little brats disrupting me!"

It was when the blonde's fist began to move that Bakura snapped back into reality. It was just as the boy was about to strike, Bakura leapt forward, snapping out of his previous frozen state. "Knock it off, both of you!"

The two halted in their processes, falling silent and motionless as their gazes locked onto Bakura's skinny, translucent figure. And it was the blonde who was the first to react.

"…Bakura? You… How did…" Darkened eyes fell onto Ryou, who whimpered under the powerful grip about his throat. "You and him…"

"Let Ryou go. He belongs to me, not you," Bakura commanded as he took a step forward, hands clenched at his sides.

"Then he's your property?" Caramel lips twisted into an amused grin. "Oh, Bakura, I honestly thought you could do better… I mean, this pathetic little creature? He's absolutely worthless!"

Ryou let out a cry as he was jerked upwards roughly by the scruff of his neck, before being pushed, the force causing him to trip and fall to the tiled floor on his rear, the child whimpering in the process as he looked up to the two other males.

"By the looks of it, you've found a mere child to inhabit as well," Bakura stated as he walked forward, strides lengthened by his long, thin legs. "And here you are, deeming me as weak?"

"At least _my _kid can actually stick up for himself, and isn't a big crybaby like yours is," the blonde spat, hands on his hips as he glared in Ryou's direction, who was still seated on the floor, afraid to move. "Why did you pick someone so _weak? _Please, Bakura, I know you could've done much better than this. What were you, so desperate this was the best you could muster?"

"_Shut up!" _Bakura bellowed, anger becoming evident, not just in his voice, but in his eyes. "I didn't choose him because of my job, unlike you! I chose Ryou because he actually cares about what happens to me, and I care about him! This isn't about my placement and my so-called loyalty to our Master! This is much more than that, Marik!"

…_Marik? _Ryou's gaze traveled from Bakura, back to the blonde, and back again. _Marik and Bakura… Know each other? But how? This doesn't… I don't understand…_

"Love, then?" Marik's leer widened, voice dripping with mockery and sarcasm. "Oh, Bakura, don't act like you actually care about the child. I know you better than that. You, me; us… Everyone we _know _from our little world… We know nothing of love or care, you know that." He chuckled, a low sound in the back of his throat, shadowed violet eyes haunting. "We know nothing more than anger, hate, and a craving for a host. We're parasites; heartless spirits. All that matters to us is a body, nothing else, and you know it."

"You're wrong," Bakura murmured, knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists harshly. "I don't care what you think, Marik, but Ryou is much more than a meager shell that I deem as my body. He's… He's a kid who needs someone so he doesn't wind up like me. I don't want him to become what I have, I don't want him to walk that path. And if he has someone there to protect him and lead the way… Then… He won't succumb to it all like I did."

And then, there was silence. Dark eyes remained locked, and the small child remained hunched over on the floor, chocolate eyes wide with confusion and alertness. The air was pregnant with a sudden tension, as if the next sentence spoken would set of the final blow. And then, it was Bakura who spoke.

"And you… Marik, what _happened _to you?" Bakura's voice was soft suddenly as he advanced a step, floating just above the gray tiles of the flooring. "What have you _become?"_

"You already know the answer to that," the blonde responded, closing his eyes. "You and I are one in the same, you already recognize that, I'm sure… We both fell in to it. And it's just like Master always used to tell us… Once you succumb, there's no chance of crawling back out into the light."

Bakura sighed, hands shoved into his pockets as bowed his head. "I know. But just because you're trapped… It doesn't mean you have to keep acting like a bird in a cage. You, me… We can do better than that, Marik. You know that. Why do you think we were permitted entrance to this realm again?"

There was no answer.

"Master wants more of us than what he already has. He knew we were trapped, and still are, but… He wants us to show _others _not to cross the line we did. Like me, he doesn't… He doesn't want to see any other beings fall into the well, unable to climb out. He doesn't want that…"

And for a brief moment or two, there was silence again, filled with unexpected feeling. And just as quickly, there was a reply, though soft and unsure of itself, "I know that already."

"No, you don't." Bakura said, frowning just slightly down at the boy. "If you did… Then why do you just act like this a meager chore to be done instead of treating it like it needs to be treated?"

No response. There was no noise at all then, Marik staring down at the floorboards, Bakura's crimson eyes unblinking as he stared, as still as a statue could possibly be. Ryou was staring too, but in a more confused manner than anything else. The only sound was the noise of air being consumed into lungs, all but Bakura doing so, the spirit having no such organs to permit it.

Then, without words, Bakura whirled around on his heel, hands still shoved into his pockets. He began to move away, seemingly trying to take steps as he glided just above the floor.

Ryou's eyes widened as Bakura began to vanish, however, as he reached the front door of the apartment. "K-Kura… Where… What's…"

"I'm not going anywhere, Ryou. I just… I need some time to alone to think for now." Bakura's back remained to the child's face, before he vanished into thin air, like a wisp of final smoke.

And then it was silent again, chocolate and violet eyes staring almost blankly at the front door where the albino spirit had just vanished from. And then, their gazes met, although only for a split second before the blonde lowered his eyes to break the staring between them.

Ryou gazed back at the door, eyes desperately searching for a slight hint of Bakura's presence. However, he couldn't see or sense the man anywhere, except in the very back of his mind.

_Kura… I don't understand. How do you two know each other? _A tiny hand curled about his chest as he felt a trickle of misery pouring into his mind, but it wasn't his own. _And what is it that's making you so upset to just disappear like that?_

_

* * *

_

Chapter 3: End.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This took a while to get up, I know. Sorry. D':

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

"…We were sent here to show people the difference between paths."

Ryou blinked in surprise, turning slightly to glance at the strange man currently possessing Malik's body. "W-What?"

Marik sighed, taking a seat in one of the dining room chairs. "Kid… I'm sure you've realized we aren't what you'd define as 'normal'. Bakura and I, others like us… We're spirits, because we don't have life anymore. We passed on. That's why we need a body."

"T-Then… You're…dead?" Ryou's voice wavered.

"Not exactly," the blonde replied. "Us… We weren't born human. We don't exactly 'die'. We just…pass. It's similar, but not the same…"

"If you weren't born human, then…" Ryou trailed off, eyes wide. "T-Then what are you and Kura?"

"…I'm afraid I can't tell you that." Marik avoided his gaze. "Ask Bakura. He'd slit my throat if I told you without getting his permission."

"…Kura said something about a Master," Ryou stated, confused. "Who is he?"

"Again, I can't tell you everything. But… He's like our boss, I guess you could say. He's the one who gives us orders on what we're supposed to do as we go back to Earth."

"Does…everyone get a chance to come here?"

"Not exactly," Marik replied softly. "Some of us are just lost in the flow, and a lot of us are stuck with our Master in our own realm to screw off. Unlike them, Bakura and I actually have work to get done; like showing you little humans the differences in life."

"But why?" Ryou's eyes were wide and innocent, curious as could be.

"Because it's our job, okay?" Marik sighed in exasperation. "You kids ask way too many questions…"

"B-But it doesn't make any sense," Ryou protested, frowning.

"Look, kid, I told you already to ask Bakura your questions, because I can't answer the majority of them, okay?" Marik growled, frustrated. It felt like his blood was boiling. "Understand?"

Ryou nodded weakly, blinking when Marik suddenly closed his eyes. A small gasp passed through the blonde's lips, and the body collapsed onto the floor.

Ryou made his way over, and gently rolled Malik onto his back. Malik's eyes drifted open, "Unh… Ryou-kun… What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure," Ryou stuttered out in a lie, not wanting to mention Marik's sudden appearance. "Y-You just passed out-"

"Oh. That… That happens sometimes," Malik forced a grin as he slowly sat upright. "Anyway… What do you want to do now?"

Ryou blinked at Malik's sudden change in disposition. He wasn't normally like this… Did he know more than he was letting on?

But Ryou said nothing.

* * *

The front door creaked softly as it closed. Ryou stood in the entranceway of the apartment, shedding his extra layers of clothing as he entered the room.

He glanced around the rooms, searching for Bakura, having not seen the spirit since early that morning with the incident with Malik and Marik. But Bakura was nowhere to be seen.

Ryou's heart sank. At first, he wasn't sure why his heart was beginning to feel heavy; but then he realized after a long period of grueling minutes it was because he knew he was not only scared, but cold, and alone.

"Kura?" Ryou's small voice echoed throughout the apartment as he called for the spirit, "Kura, I'm sorry, please, don't be mad…" It was a desperate act, calling for the mysterious spirit, Ryou's heart aching painfully in his chest. "Please… I don't wanna be alone again…"

Silence was the only greeting Ryou received.

Small, round shoulders slumped in defeat, a small sniffle escaping from the upset child. He finally tugged off the final, extra layers of his clothing, draping them over the back of the chair before trudging in the direction of his bedroom.

His heart swelled in his chest as he came into the entranceway of the bedroom, deep down hoping the spirit would be residing in his room, but as he entered, he found it was the opposite once more. Bakura was still missing.

Tears swelled in chocolate eyes, but Ryou refused to let them fall. He shuffled into his room, blinking back salty tears. He eyed the answering machine, which he had moved into his room not too long ago, since he was the only one to check it. There was a number flashing on the surface, signaling a new message.

Ryou reached out with small fingers, and hesitantly pressed the large white button. On contact, the message began to play.

"_Ryou, I can't come home yet. I know it's been a while, but I'm still up to my eyes in work. Me and the others still have a lot of scrounging around to do before we uncover this thing, okay? I sent out some money for you; it should be enough to pay the bills and for you to buy groceries for a month or two. I don't know when I'll be home, but I'll call you as soon as I find out, all right? Bye."_

There was a click, signaling the end of the voicemail. Ryou bowed his head, tears escaping hurt, almost broken, chocolate eyes. "Daddy… You promised…"

Small hands crashed against the white answering machine as a small seed of rage and misery sprouted in Ryou's heart. The force of the child's hands, however, ripped the plug from the outlet and sent the device tumbling harshly from its place on the side table to the floorboards below.

A sob passed Ryou's lips as the child's knees weakened, and he collapsed onto the mattress of his small bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

It was at that moment the boy felt the loneliest he had in years as he fell into a restless slumber.

-

Bakura _was _watching at that exact moment, despite Ryou's views. The spirit was currently residing in the back of Ryou's mind, having cut himself off from Ryou's connection; the child couldn't feel him because of it. However, _he_ could still sense Ryou, for the spirit had learned how to severe only one end of the line between their hearts.

But… Bakura didn't think he had _ever _had a host this heartbroken or insecure before, dying from the inside out. No. His other hosts _had _people that cared about them – other family, friends – but Ryou… It was like the kid had literally no one.

He had heard everything as he quietly resided in Ryou's body, watching quietly as well. But what confused Bakura was the fact that earlier, Ryou had told the spirit that his father was missing; but it was obviously him on the answering machine. _So why did he lie to me?_

Bakura knew Ryou was asleep, but that didn't mean his spirit was necessarily in slumber at the moment.

The spirit stood, his body slicing through the sliver of light splaying over the floor of his soul room. He walked towards the steel door, and slipped quietly outside and into the hall. It was in a mere two steps he was in front of Ryou's bedroom door.

As usual, the door was still open; this signaled to Bakura that the boy was still awake. There was a tiny shard of light seeping from the gap between the door and the wall, pooling over Bakura's bare feet as he stood before the steel door quietly. Then, he held his breath, and summoned his courage, and his strength, before pushing the door open further.

Ryou sat huddled in the center of the room, shaking harshly, despite his long-sleeved shirt and jeans, long silver locks of hair flowing down his back, which was hunched forward.

"…Ryou?" Bakura whispered, voice wavering slightly in nervousness. This, after all, was the first time he had entered Ryou's soul room…

The child jumped, whirling around as far as his body allowed. Chocolate eyes looked broken, and afraid, tears overflowing from the orbs. His cheeks were wet, and his eyes were bloodshot, red rimmed. "K… Kura…?"

Bakura crept into the room, bare feet silent on the cold, tiled flooring. He walked over, and knelt down on one knee so that they were eye level. "Ryou… Why are you crying?"

"H-He's not coming. H-He lied again," Ryou whimpered, hurt. "A-And I thought you left me… I'm gonna be alone again, I don't wanna be alone-"

"Shush," Bakura interrupted, frowning. "Ryou… You know I wouldn't abandon you. I just… I needed some time to think about a few things alone. That's all. But tell me… Who isn't coming?" Bakura asked, a snowy eyebrow rising.

"D-Daddy isn't coming back yet," Ryou choked out, crying harder. "H-He lied again. H-He said he'd be back in a week, b-but he isn't gonna be coming home until months from now…"

"Ryou… I thought you said your father was missing?" Bakura questioned, frowning inwardly.

"I-It's like he is," Ryou whispered, hurt and afraid. "H-He's never home. Ever since we lost Mommy and Amane, he… He doesn't care about anything else b-but his job. He doesn't care about me." Ryou was practically sobbing all over again.

"Oh, Ryou, that isn't true," Bakura whispered gently, reaching out, and taking Ryou's face into his hands. Ryou gasped at the touch, eyes widening as he stared into Bakura's crimson ones. "I'm sure he's just busy with his work-"

"If he loved me, Kura, he wouldn't leave me here alone all the time!" Ryou wailed, recoiling, and slapping Bakura's hands away.

"Ryou, please, calm down," Bakura murmured softly, reaching out and gently curling his hands about Ryou's wrists to prevent him from hitting him or removing himself from his grip. "Your father… I'm sure he loves you very much. But I'm also positive he has to work hard to make sure you have everything you need that will keep you healthy and growing. It's hard to take care of a child-"

"I'm not a child," Ryou stated, frowning. "I'm gonna be eight soon, I'm not a baby anymore."

"Ryou… You're still a kid, despite your responsibilities. Children need people to take care of them. Sure, your father may not be around to take care of you like other parents probably do, but he still cares. He works hard to make sure you guys have money to live off of. Without him working, you wouldn't have any money to buy things… There wouldn't be any way you could live without him working all the time." Bakura smiled slightly. "He loves you, and so do I. We both love you, very much, okay? I'm sure you're disappointed, but you need to understand what's really going on," Bakura smiled gently as he stood up. "Okay?"

"O-Okay," Ryou replied quietly, also rising to his feet. He blinked in surprise as Bakura playfully ruffled his hair, a smile on the spirit's lips. "K-Kura… I-I love you too," Ryou said softly, a small, slightly embarrassed blush dusted onto normally pale cheeks.

Bakura smiled, mute. He wrapped his arms about Ryou's small figure, heaving him off the floor, Ryou squeaking in surprise. Bakura carried him over to the bed, and deposited the child there, smiling. "Get some sleep, Ryou."

"N-No," Ryou whimpered, reaching out towards the spirit. "I don't want you to go away yet…"

"This again?" Bakura sighed, but he couldn't contain his smile. "Fine. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, okay?"

Ryou was beaming as the spirit clambered up onto the bed. Being upon inside of the child's mind, Bakura had a physical body, resulting in him no longer being able to float at the moment, so he had to actually lie down.

The bed was small, it being a child's. Bakura wriggled uncomfortably, Ryou giggling at this; the spirit, lying on his back, finally managing to get somewhat comfortable. "Come here, kid."

There wasn't enough room for Ryou to lie flat, so the two of them resided side by side, as if they were glued together. Ryou was curled against Bakura's side, his head resting on the ridges of Bakura's ribcage.

The two laid there for a while, side by side, in silence. Bakura knew Ryou was asleep when he felt Ryou's entire body go lax against him, his breathing deepening greatly in slumber. Ryou sighed in his sleep, snuggling against Bakura's side, fingers digging into fabric.

Bakura smiled slightly at this, his heart feeling swollen in his chest. But deeper down, there was a little sprout of worry latching onto him. Was it bad that he was actually growing attached to the kid?

* * *

Ryou's eyes fluttered open, sunlight casting itself over his face and flowing into his eyes. He turned his head to the alarm clock, squinting at the red numbers. It had just turned to eight in the morning.

Ryou yawned, the child sitting upright in bed. He was about to climb out of bed when he noticed Bakura, the translucent spirit standing at the single window that he had in his bedroom. He was staring out of the small gap between the curtains, staring down at the city below, which was busy even at this early hour. The spirit's crimson eyes were vacant as he stared at the world. He suddenly raised a pale, bony hand, and made a movement that looked like he was trying to touch the glass, but his hand only went through the window. Mute, he merely pulled his hand back in, staring back down at the city below once more.

"Kura? What are you doing up so early?" Ryou asked as he clambered out of bed and approached the spirit, "What are you looking at?"

Bakura lifted his head and eyed the child as he ran over to him, standing next to him. "…Nothing. I'm just thinking about a few things," he whispered.

"Like what?" Ryou asked innocently, being so childishly naïve it wasn't an offensive question of intrusion.

"…Things you wouldn't understand," Bakura said softly, gently. The spirit turned on his heel, as if to walk away.

"But… You're like me," Ryou protested, frowning. "We've both lost things-"

"You haven't lost nearly as much as me, kid," Bakura stated.

"It's not like I would know!" Ryou suddenly yelled at the spirit, who stopped at the child's words. "It's not like you tell me anything! I don't know anything about you, and you're supposed to be the other half of me, living _inside _of me!" Ryou's voice cracked. "You live inside of me and I don't know anything about you…"

Bakura was silent.

"What are you?" Ryou demanded softly, tears threatening to spill over. "Marik said you guys aren't humans. Then what are you guys?"

Bakura remained mute, avoiding his gaze.

"Kura, tell me," Ryou pleaded, crying silently. "Please, at least I'll know something about you…"

"You will never look at me the same way if I told you. No one did when I broke the news," Bakura replied, referring to his old hosts. "I don't really wish for you to know-"

"_Please." _Ryou sounded heartbroken, tears spilling from the child's chocolate eyes. "_Please, _Kura, tell me what you really are!"

"…A demon."

It was as soon as the words spilled from Bakura's lips that Ryou's world felt like it had frozen in place. All of the child's thoughts smeared together, his small heart pounding against his small line of ribs. "Y-You can't be a d-demon… Y-You're too nice, you said you loved me-"

"I do love you," Bakura said honestly, crouching down before the child. "And I don't wish to be like the others, but… I can't help being what I am."

"Y-You got no wings," Ryou stammered, crying softly. "N-No fangs, o-or claws… Y-You can't be…"

"I am, Ryou. I just don't have any powers right now, because when I was sent here, my Master took them from me. I don't get them back until I begin to truly help people… People like you, you understand?"

"N-No. No!" Ryou was sobbing, and the child stumbled back a few steps, back hitting the rough, brick wall. "Y… Y-You're lying-"

"No, I'm not," Bakura said softly, but sternly. "Ryou… You should know by now I wouldn't lie to you, especially about a topic such as this."

Ryou didn't respond.

"…My father was powerful; one of the strongest in the realm. He met my mother, and… Well, they fell in love. Eventually things progressed, and… Well… My mother had me." Bakura floated back over to the window, staring back down at the city that seemed to lie at his feet. "My mother wanted a girl at first, but… My father was glad I was male. He said at least now I could follow in his footsteps…

"…But that isn't what I wanted. I didn't want to grow up to be like him. I didn't _want _to follow, to be like the others… And it made me happy to know that my mother wished for me to be whoever I chose to be. She always said that as long as I was happy, she could live with it.

"…But my father…" Bakura's knuckles cracked as his hands clenched into fists. "He wasn't so accepting with my terms. He always told me that he didn't care about what I wanted, that no one ever truly got what they wanted, and I was no different. He always said that I was going to follow him, whether I liked it or not.

"I was always angry with that decision my father made for me. It was supposed to be my life, and my mother said I was supposed to live how _I _wanted to. But of course I wasn't granted that…"

Ryou sniffed a little, staring at the man, but the smaller of the two didn't speak.

"…They died when I was six, I think." Bakura closed his eyes. "They didn't just pass, either. They were…completely lost in the flow. But of course, when I was six, I didn't realize that. I thought they had merely passed on.

"But when my time came and I made it on and there were no traces of them, I knew. I _knew _they were lost entirely. But… There's no way to describe what I felt right then. It just…felt like my heart had been ripped out. To know that I had some hope to see them again, but to know I was never going to… It just _hurt."_

"…It hurt when I lost something, too," Ryou said softly, inching slightly closer to the spirit, eyes teary. "D…Do you still hurt because of it?"

Bakura was mute for a long moment, staring down at the city, coated in a fine layer of white snow, which was dusted over cars, buildings, and the city street. "…Ryou… The pain of losing something special may decline over time, but… It will never, ever, truly fade away. You'll more than likely always hurt because of it…"

"Why?"

It was a childish question, Bakura knew. A natural curiosity that lived within humans' hearts, especially that of children. Bakura learned that long ago.

"Because." It was a one-word answer, dull and simple, "Because that's just how it works, Ryou. Some things just work without having an explanation. Why things hurt, why _you _hurt… Why I never wanted to grow up the way I was instructed to. But… Not everything works out the way you want it to. I'm sure you've figured that out by now."

Bakura turned away from the window then, a soft sigh spilling from the demon spirit's lips.

"…Kura, wait." Ryou's eyes drifted up in an attempt to lock on Bakura's, but the crimson orbs were currently avoiding him. "…H…How did you lose your parents?"

Silence. The air seemed suddenly heavy to Ryou, thick with tension and worry that he had asked a wrong question once more. Bakura was motionless before him, crimson eyes unblinking.

Then, a sigh, "I guess you could call it an accident… But they went down fighting. Let's just say where we lived wasn't exactly peaceful."

* * *

Chapter 4: End.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up, I had a few problems along the way, mainly a dose of writer's block. I have that sorted out now, however, so hopefully updates will be faster now!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

"N-No…"

Ryou blinked at the voice, sleepily lifting his head up from the pillow cast neatly atop of his soul room bed.

Ryou frowned, and slowly sat up. The child quietly slipped out of bed, and padded across the small room and towards the door. He peeked out of the crack, swallowing at the slim hallway, and across the way, another door.

He hadn't left his room before; deep down, he was afraid to do so. But the voice, which he recognized with ease as Bakura's… It sounded so close, and in pain.

Summoning his courage, Ryou curled his small hands about the door, and pulled. It creaked as he forced it open, light spilling out of the room and over the flooring of the hallway. Ryou swallowed as he slowly crept out of his room and across the slim corridor, and over to the other door.

He knew it was Bakura's room, and he was nervous. He knew it would be an invasion of privacy to enter the spirit's room without permission, and Ryou wasn't sure if this would anger Bakura or not…

Sucking in a shaky breath, Ryou reached up and curled his hands about the handle of the door, and pushed.

Like his own door, Bakura's made a small sound as Ryou pushed against it. The child swallowed thickly as he opened the structure, nervous. He froze, however, as he set his eyes upon the room inside.

It was nearly pitch black, the only light coming from the hall. The said sliver of radiance spilled from the corridor in which Ryou stood, and illuminating the nearly naked, black painted bed in the corner. Atop of it, resided Bakura, curled up into the smallest form he could possibly muster. But what bothered Ryou was the fact the man was shaking all over, and he was…whimpering?

"K… Kura?" Ryou whispered, as softly as he could. He tiptoed into the room, careful to remain as quiet as possible. He noticed the black tile under him was cold, and coated with dust. The air around him seemed dank, heavy, and the dark walls seemed like that of a prison cell…

With small, quiet steps, Ryou approached the bed. He swallowed in the dark, there be just enough light for him to see Bakura's face. It was contorted with that of pain and fear, Bakura's eyes squeezed uneasily shut in his slumber. Sweat glistened underneath snowy bangs, Bakura tossing around under the thin, frayed sheet he called his covers.

"K-Kura?" Ryou wasn't sure of what to do. Bakura whimpered in his sleep at his name, his back arching as he curled up further upon his side. "K-Kura, wake up… C-Come on…"

Ryou's hands shook as he reached out, and placed them on Bakura's arm, along the skin connecting Bakura's lower arm and his elbow. He gave a gentle shake, but halted instantly as Bakura jerked away harshly in his sleep, a small, pitiful whine escaping that of the spirit's throat.

"K-Kura, _please!" _Ryou cried, shaking Bakura roughly.

But it was like an effortless act, for the man's ears were deaf to the world.

_The sound of the door hitting the wall, the noise echoing throughout the dim living room._

_Bakura looked up from the stuffed wolf that sat cradled in short, thin arms, unlocking his eyes with the blank button eyes. The child was seated upon the cracked leather sofa, propped up against the wall painted white, said paint chipping and revealing the true faded color of the basic walls._

_Bakura slowly climbed up from the sofa, curiosity getting the better of him. He heard the sound of running water pause in the kitchen, and his mother's voice drift from the said room, "Did you forget your key again, dear?"_

_Bakura's feet were silent on the old carpet as he crept towards the doorway. It was a rare time he saw his father, and for him to be home before his bedtime was an even rarer occasion._

_However, the child paused at the sound of fine china smashing against tile, followed by a struggled scream. "M-Mommy…?"_

_He swallowed at the sudden surge of footsteps, sounding like that belonging to at least that of two people, like boots. The child approached the doorway, but froze at the sight._

_The door was broken inward, barely supported on its hinges; however, it was the form of his father slumped against the dented, bloodied wood that caused his muscles to freeze._

"_B-Bakura!" The child barely heard his mother's voice, it seeming muffled to his mind, which was fuzzy and confused._

_He blinked, pulling out of his trance as he felt something seize his arm. His head snapped up, and he yelped as he was literally yanked off his feet. It was only as that he glanced up, seeing his mother's worried hazel eyes did he realize he was being carried. "M-Mommy?"_

_It was only as they raced up the stairs, his mother's feet slamming harshly against the wooden steps did Bakura notice his hands were empty. He craned his head, managing to glance back over his mother's shoulder to see his stuffed animal cast in the living room, abandoned, the child having dropped it earlier in surprise. "M-Mommy, w-wait! My wolf! M-My wolf!"_

"_That's not important right now!" Bakura swallowed thickly, hearing the panic smudging his mother's voice. "I'll go get it later-"_

"_No!" Bakura squirmed in the woman's cradle, struggling to free himself of her grip, not comprehending the true situation, "I want my wolf!"_

_He froze, a shadow casting itself from the entranceway of the kitchen, the black smear falling over the stuffed animal._

_They finally made it up the stairs, and Bakura blinked, confused, as his mother suddenly threw open the closet residing in the hall. She set him down on the carpeted floor, but continued to hold onto his arm. She crouched before him, squeezing tightly upon his frail limb, "Bakura, listen to me. I want you to stay in here, and don't come out until I say you can, understood?"_

"_B-But… My… My wolf…" Bakura said softly, eyes downcast._

"_I told you, I'll bring it back as soon as I can, okay?" She shooed him into the closet, and began to shut the door, but paused, leaving it open just a crack so she could see him, "Remember, don't come out for _anything, _and don't make a sound. I'll be back soon, I promise."_

"_W-With my wolf?" Bakura stammered, stumbling back into the depths of the dark closet._

"_With your wolf," his mother said gently, a smile finally caressing her worried features. "I promise."_

_And the closet door shut._

"N-No," Ryou blinked, Bakura's voice escaping in a small whimper, "D-Don't leave me…"

"K-Kura…? A-Are you awake…?" Ryou struggled to climb up to get a better look at Bakura's face, him being too short to do so.

No answer.

_Bakura swallowed, his back pressed against the corner of the closet, knees hugged to his chest. His mother hadn't come back yet, but… Wasn't whatever happened over? It was so quiet, not the slightest noise reaching him…_

_Summoning his courage, and grimacing, knowing that he had disobeyed his mother's order, he crawled towards the door, and reached up, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it so the door opened._

_Nothing greeted his ears but silence._

_Staggering to his feet, he slipped down the narrow hallway and towards the stairs. It was only as he made it halfway down the wooden steps did he notice something that wasn't there before: an unfamiliar stain of red etched into the old carpet._

"_M… Mommy?" Bakura's voice echoed throughout the silent residence, his footsteps quiet against the carpet. He padded through the living room and towards the kitchen, but froze as he made it to the doorway._

_Blood. Bakura's muscles were unresponsive as he stared at the scene before him. The form of his father was still slumped against the broken down door, black hair falling over his bloodied face, crimson eyes blank and void of life. Blood was oozing from along the folds of his wrists, a knife plunged straight through each said body part, and the ridge of the knife going completely through and plunged into the wood of the front door._

_But it was the crumpled form of his mother, sprawled across the bloodstained tile that caught his attention more than anything._

"_M-Mommy?" He approached her, for her back had been facing him during this time. "M-Mommy, w-what happened? I-I thought you promised you'd come back to get me when it was all-"_

_He froze at the bloodied figure, her hip length hair cascading over the tile. Bakura wretched back at the sight, his crimson eyes wide and glistening with sudden tears. "M-Mommy?!"_

_Cuts littering her arms, her clothing ripped, said cloth stained with blood. Her mane of white hair was smudged with red and her lips swollen and bloodstained. Bruises were popping out on her arms, along her neck, and on her pale legs. Crimson had blossomed on the corner of her frame, along her shoulder. It was only then did the six-year-old notice the knife plunged crookedly through her shoulder blade. Her right arm was lying outstretched, flat against the tile, and sitting in her now unresponsive hands was the child's stuffed animal._

_Its fur was bloodstained, frayed; one of the black, button eyes were missing, and the tail was ripped, barely hanging on, the stuffing now sticking out due to the broken threads._

_Bakura was on his knees, tears escaping his confused, hurt crimson eyes. His heart felt like it had shattered as he stared at the woman's bruised and bloodied figure, but he couldn't look away._

_Bakura swallowed harshly, his heart feeling like it had worked its way up into his throat somehow. His mother wasn't moving, wasn't breathing…_

_He was crying, but he didn't realize that. He couldn't breathe. Everything seemed like it was spinning around, making him dizzy and sick. He was struggling to speak, but he couldn't get out any words._

_It was only as he reached out with a shaking hand to lift the wolf from his mother's own hand did he see the blood smeared across the tile, the crimson flowing over the woman's motionless fingers. Written in blood, barely noticeable, were the words: I love you._

_It was then Bakura's world came crashing down. Harsh sobs erupted from his throat as he completely broke down, not caring that he was crying any longer. He held the stuffed animal close to his chest, unable to hold back the flow of tears._

Bakura gasped, his eyes shooting open. He jolted straight up in bed, panting as he managed to get into that of an upright position. He felt like he was on the border of hyperventilating, although his lungs were old and unneeded. He was sweating, the beads of salty water glistening under his mangled bangs. It was then as he sat there for a long moment in his rickety bed did he realize what he had truly dreamed of…

"K… Kura?" A voice, small and confused, interrupted his flow of thoughts.

Bakura gazed over the edge of the mattress, internally surprised to find Ryou standing at his bedside. "…Ryou? What are you doing in here? You should be asleep; it's late-"

"Y-You sounded like you were in pain, and I… I wanted to make sure you were gonna be okay… B-But you kept talking in your sleep, and tossing around, a-and I couldn't wake you up…" Ryou sniffed, sounding upset. "I-I thought you were really hurt…"

"…It was…just a nightmare," Bakura whispered, his voice wavering however, despite his efforts. "Nothing serious…"

"…You're lying," Ryou said suddenly, his chocolate eyes narrowing. "Kura… You had a really bad dream. Everyone has them… Why won't you just tell me the truth?"

"Because I can't stand that I'm weak," Bakura stated simply, averting his gaze from Ryou's far too innocent eyes. "After I lost them, I told myself I wouldn't be so vulnerable anymore-"

"You're not weak," Ryou protested with a frown. "Kura, you're a lot stronger than I am-"

"You're younger than me, Ryou. You don't understand the reality of a lot of things just yet. And if you knew what would label a person as weak, I would be the first one to come to your mind."

"…No, it wouldn't," Ryou said softly, his frown deepening. "And I don't know why you just can't tell me, Kura; you know more about me than I do about you… And… I wanna know more. W-We're alike, you said, like how we lost our-"

"I already told you, Ryou, my family didn't die like yours. Mine didn't die in a car accident-"

"Then… How did they die? Y-You said they fought before they…"

"…I guess you could say it's my fault," Bakura whispered, his throat getting scratchy again as it tried to close up. "They died…protecting me…from the enemy.

"My father, being so powerful, made several enemies in the poor little town we lived in. He was rarely around, so my mother cared for me the most…

"And then, one evening… The door was knocked in. My mom thought it was my father, having forgotten his keys to the house again, but… That wasn't it.

"There were men outside we didn't recognize. And they… They had ganged up on my father and killed him. They had obviously struggled, for my dad was bleeding and was covered with marks. But they had killed him, and apparently their force had been to much for him to handle on his own. They had attacked him, and… They drove knives through his wrists. They were so strong, they had knocked the door in before stabbing him, and they had used so much force the knife had been driven into the wood.

"My mother dropped a dish in shock, before she noticed me. She grabbed me and took me upstairs without hesitation… And she hid me in the closet. At that moment, at a meager six years old, I didn't realize what was happening. The only thing I cared about right then in my confusion was the toy I carried around with me all the time lying in the living room by itself.

"My mother promised she would bring it back to me, before she left me there alone. I stayed in there for what seemed like an eternity, practically suffocating. The silence was deafening…

"My father's body hadn't been moved, and I found my mother dead in the kitchen. I could tell she had gone down fighting; she was cut and bruised, and bloodied. In her right hand was the toy I begged for her to return for me…

"…It's all my fault. My stupidity cost my mother her life… If I hadn't gone towards the kitchen… If I hadn't been around at that time… If I had just listened to my father when he ordered me to go with him on his stupid little missions, our house never would've been a target-"

"How is it your fault?" Ryou asked, interrupting the spirit. "Kura… You didn't do anything to cause it-"

"Yes, I did!" Bakura screamed, sizing up, his muscles tightening up. "Ryou, it's all my fault! I'm so stupid! I cost them both their lives! I deserve all that I received because of that!

"All those nights alone, all those times I went without food or shelter, all of those people who spat on me, and all of those fights I got into, it was all karma coming back on me, Ryou! It was payback for what I caused!" Bakura's throat felt uncomfortably tight at this point, "And it didn't matter that I was sorry! It didn't matter, nothing did! I couldn't change what I caused… And I realized after a long time, a long period of being on my own whilst dying, that I figured out that it was the biggest mistake of my life…"

"…Kura…" Ryou didn't like the upset edge to Bakura's voice. It almost sounded like the demon was going to start…crying? "Kura, didn't… Didn't you have anywhere else to go…?"

"Besides the streets? No." Bakura didn't make eye contact with the child. "I had no other family than my mother and my father. And after they died… I didn't know what to do with my life. I couldn't live in that house anymore, so I took to the streets… And where I lived, in a pathetic red-light district, I was never safe."

"H-How did you survive?"

"…I don't know." Bakura said honestly, eyes falling to his hands. "All I remember is that I was always hungry, always sick, always cold… I'm surprised I didn't kill over as soon as it all happened…"

"…Kura… I-If you didn't die from all that…" Ryou felt numb, his head feeling too full and his heart hurting, "H-How did you…die?"

Bakura was mute for a very long time, and those seconds seemed like an eternity to Ryou, who was nibbling softly upon his lower lip in nervousness at that moment. Then, Bakura sighed. "Let's just say I wasn't strong enough to stick up for myself. That's what marked my end."

"…Were you…killed?" Ryou whispered, his voice small.

"…Something like that, I guess you could say." Bakura's eyes were vacant as he spoke. "Being homeless and alone the world, I was starving for contact. And as I managed to get out of my pitiable little town and got into a larger city, I met others like me. There were so many of us, but no one wanted to help us, especially a bunch of 'stupid kids'.

"In that city, I had scrounged up a little corner of an alley, and it nothing more than a large box someone had thrown out. I was desperate to find things to live off, like food. But I wasn't strong enough. There were so many kids like me that we had to fight for a meal. I was never a fighter, so I never got to eat.

"One day… I can remember I managed to actually get some of the bread that the others hadn't gotten hold of. And then, there was this kid. I don't remember what he looked like or anything else, but I can clearly recall him rounding on me, and then he pushed me, flat of my back. I can remember hitting the concrete…

"Someone helped me stand up. I was bleeding from a huge gash that had formed from the impact… And I can vaguely remember someone telling me they would help me.

"The next thing I knew, that person had retrieved food for me, and… He helped me with my injury to the best of his ability. That person turned out to be Marik… And he became the closest friend I would ever have.

"Marik would always force me to eat any food he would scrounge up in those fights or if he somehow got any otherwise. He would always put me first before himself. A few times, I denied him, telling him he needed it more than me, but he wouldn't hear it. He would literally force-feed me if I didn't willingly take it. He didn't care that he was a borderline anorexic. He said all he cared about was making sure I didn't turn into something hideous like he was…

"He not only fed me, but he gave me his gloves and his hat and shared his jacket with me. So during the winter, I was always warmer than he was, but I knew he didn't care. He said as long as I was okay he could deal with it. He was the closest thing to family I ever got again…

"Marik let me stay with him. He lived downtown, in an alley that we could barely squeeze into. It was sheltered with an overhang, and it was better than what I had to call home… And all those days and nights with each other, we learned a lot about each other.

"One day… There was a fight. The other kids weren't unfortunate, like Marik and I. They were just rebels, thrown away by their families. Marik and I didn't know they were dangerous, that they carried switchblades, at least not until that day…

"It was like the first day we met. We were fighting over food again, like vultures. And of course, I was stupid enough to go forward when something hit the ground as it was released from someone's hands. And picking up that fallen food was the second largest mistake I made in my entire life.

"I can remember people screaming at me. I can remember breaking down, trying to pull out of the crowd like the coward I was. But Marik didn't let me. He yelled at me too, but in a different way, telling me I needed to stand up to these people. When I refused, Marik was the one who rounded on them in my defense, screaming and cursing at them, even grabbing them by their shirts, while I just stood behind him, weak and spineless.

"Everything was moving too fast. Marik and someone else hit the concrete, rolling, kicking, punching, clawing… Marik even spat in the boy's face. But… Then everything got all slow. I saw a knife.

"And they cut him, straight across his upper arm. But Marik was strong. He didn't even scream. Instead, it only further infuriated him, his blood oozing and staining his shirt crimson.

"He punched them, and screamed at me to keep my distance that he could handle this. But turning his attention away was his vital mistake. They stabbed him, straight in the side.

"I tried to help him, but I was weak, defenseless. I can remember Marik dying before me, bleeding and panting and broken. I can remember being on all fours over him, struggling to protect him and myself as I was struck and cut and beaten. I wasn't strong enough. They eventually caused me to collapse, atop of Marik…

"And that's all I remember. The next thing I knew, I awoke in a whole different realm… I had passed without my own knowledge…"

Ryou couldn't find anything to say, motionless and mute at the bedside.

"Now, please, Ryou… Go to sleep." Bakura sounded stressed as he lied back down, upon his side so that his back faced Ryou. "Please…"

"…Okay." Ryou headed towards the door, but paused in the doorway, casting his gaze over his shoulder to speak to the spirit, "…Kura… I'm sorry…"

There was no answer. But it was mere seconds after Ryou slipped out of the room did Bakura release a small sob, the spirit squeezing his eyes shut.

If he had any real tears to shed at that moment, he would've done so.

* * *

Cchapter 5: End.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm really sorry about not updating this for so long. But honestly, writer's block was eating me alive. I just now got a new line of ideas for this fic, so hopefully things will be picking up speed when it comes to my writing!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

It took only a few days for Bakura to recover from the blows to his emotions, mainly because of Ryou's cheerful spirit. Even in the darkest of moments, the child kept him feeling like he could go on, Ryou's smile never faltering as they spoke to one another. And for some reason when Ryou smiled, so did he.

The days seemed to be going by faster to the spirit, as if time was going too fast for him. He didn't understand this, never having experienced such a thing before, but he kept it to himself.

It was dawn now, the sky still dark, although there was a tiny prickle of sunlight showing itself in the distance.

Ryou's eyes cracked open slightly, the child curled up in a little ball under his mound of bed sheets. He sat there for a brief second, his chocolate eyes pondering, before they suddenly widened and he sat bolt upright in bed. He pushed the covers back and ran down the small hall of the apartment, his baggy pajamas fluttering slightly with his speed.

Bakura, having just also awakened, appeared suddenly in the living room as Ryou sprinted through the apartment and towards the front door. The spirit rubbed sleepily at one eye, having been dragged out of his slumber by Ryou's sudden burst of adrenaline and excited emotions, both having poured into Bakura's body through the link between them. "What's the matter with you? It's six in the morning; you should still be asleep!"

"No time to talk now, Kura!" Ryou didn't bother to grab a jacket, merely slipping his small feet into his old, worn sneakers, grabbing the small silver key hanging on the hook near the door, and running out the front door, slamming it shut after him.

"Hey!" Bakura shouted, going straight through the door and coming out the other side. He stopped as he watched Ryou struggle down the stairs of his apartment, clinging to the handrail as he made his way down to prevent himself from falling, for the steps were coated with ice. "Ryou, you get back here and put on a coat before you get sick!"

"No time!" Ryou's voice was strangely excited as he managed to make it down the flight of stairs, and hopped down onto the snowy ground below. He sprinted across the yard of the apartment building, newly falling snow already collecting on his pajamas and in his hair.

Bakura sighed as he swiftly glided down the steps, and zipped easily through the air, making it to Ryou's side in no time at all. Ryou ran down the edge of the sidewalk, the silver key clutched in his small fist. "Where are you going?"

Ryou didn't answer, but Bakura knew something was making him excited, with that twinkle in his eyes…

Suddenly, Ryou stopped. The child stood before a large, gray box held up on metal posts, the large container split up into several other holding places. Each had a small door and a keyhole on the front, followed by a specific number. Bakura realized it as the apartment building's mailbox.

Ryou shakily, but hurriedly, jammed the small key into his designated box and turned for a few seconds, and pulled the door open. He reached inside, picking up the sum of four envelopes, before shutting the door and removing the key.

Bakura watched, a snowy eyebrow upraised, as Ryou shuffled through the little stack of mail. Suddenly, Ryou's shoulders slumped, little bits of moisture collecting in the child's eyes. Immediately, Bakura felt alarm collecting into a ball in his stomach. "Ryou? Ryou, what's wrong?"

"H… He lied…" Ryou's knees shook as he dropped the mail to the snowy ground, biting his lip in an attempt not to cry. "H-He lied _again, _Kura…"

"Who?" Bakura asked gently, crouching down at Ryou's side, looking the child in the eyes. He tried to keep his voice as soft as possible, knowing Ryou was close to a breaking point.

"D-Daddy," Ryou choked out, the tears swelling in the rims of his eyes. "H-He didn't send anything… H-He promised, b-but he didn't… He didn't…"

Tears of pure betrayal, hurt, and broken heartedness spilled over. Bakura watched, helpless, as Ryou began to cry, unable to hold back the tears.

"I-I don't care about the presents," Ryou cried, his words slurred by tears. "I-It would be nice if he even bothered to write me letters like he promised he would…"

Bakura was honestly confused. "Ryou… I don't understand. What are you talking about?" he asked gently, his crimson eyes concerned.

"D-Daddy kept saying on all those voicemails he would at least write me a letter and get it here before Christmas," Ryou choked out, sniffling harshly, but the tears wouldn't stop. "I-I don't care if he doesn't send me any presents, b-but the letters… The letters never show up, ever. H-He always says he'll send me one, but they never show up!"

Finally, Bakura understood, feeling shards of pity growing in his stomach for the child. He sighed, although he possessed no lungs to allow it; it was just force of habit. "Ryou… It's going to be okay-"

"I-I hate him," Ryou tearfully muttered, interrupting the spirit. "He always lies, a-and he breaks his promises, every single time. I… I-I miss mum… M-Mum never did this to me!"

"Ryou…" Bakura tried to place his hands on Ryou's shoulders, but they merely passed through the boy. "It's going to be okay. I know how you feel; my father was just like yours, in a twisted way. You don't need him, Ryou. You're better off without him… You have plenty of other people that love you-"

"Like who?" Ryou growled, his emotions proving to be unstable. He practically glared into Bakura's eyes, his little hands curled into fists.

"Malik, I'm sure," Bakura softly responded, giving a small smile. "And I'm sure your mother loved you, and your sister, and I'm positive they're watching over you, Ryou. And me. I love you as well."

A pitiful sniffle escaped from Ryou as he bowed his head, a new wave of tears threatening to break free.

"Come on. You need to get inside before you catch a cold," Bakura said gently, straightening up. "I promise you, Ryou, everything's going to be all right. It may not seem like it yet, but after the storm, there's always a clearing."

"K…Kura-"

"Don't forget to lock the mailbox and get the mail," Bakura said with a smile, cutting Ryou off. Ryou just blinked, standing there, as Bakura casually tucked his hands into his pockets, and drifted towards the main apartment building.

Blinking once more, Ryou quickly locked up the mailbox, and gathered the envelopes, and ran after the spirit.

* * *

"I'm sorry about earlier," Ryou said softly, shifting his small sum of chicken and rice around on his plate. Even if was a holiday, nothing really changed when it came to meals. "I… I'm sorry I keep having outbursts like that…"

"You have no reason to apologize," Bakura said coolly, sprawled out on his back as he levitated a few inches above the sofa. "It's fine. You were upset, and needed to get it off your chest. And you had every right to have an outbreak like that. I did it all the time when I was little, because I was always let down by my father. For a while it really got to me, but then when I figured out as I grew somewhat older that it was becoming a mere routine, the most I did was shed only a few tears, nothing more. I didn't care anymore, although deep down somewhere I longed to have him actually care about me, than just to want me to follow in his footsteps in business…"

"…I'm sorry." Ryou lowered his head to his plate again, causing his bangs to fall into his big, chocolate colored eyes, "I… I keep acting like I have the worst life ever, but… B-But you've been through so much more, Kura-"

"You're human," Bakura cut in, eyes half lidded as he folded his hands behind his head. "Your life isn't supposed to be as screwed up as a demon's, no matter what. If it was, then we would have a serious problem."

Ryou giggled a little, and Bakura couldn't help but smile slightly at the twinkle he could see in Ryou's eyes. For a moment, things were silent. Bakura then opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the sudden _ring _of the telephone sounded, ruining his chance.

Ryou sprang up, hurriedly racing into the kitchen to pick up the main phone. He set his plate down on the countertop, having to stand on tiptoe to do so. Reaching as high as he could, he managed to snag the telephone off the wall, and with a big, hopeful smile, raised it to his ear.

Bakura watched from his place on the sofa as Ryou began a conversation, smiling and laughing as he leaned against the counter, curling the telephone cord about one of his small fingers.

"Merry Christmas, Malik-kun," Ryou murmured, unable to help but smile.

"_Merry Christmas to you too. I'm sorry it took me so long to call you, but things have just been piling up on me, you know?" _Malik's voice sounded a little worried as he said this. _"Are you mad?"_

"No. It's… It's okay," Ryou said, honestly a little relieved. Malik hadn't forgotten, he just didn't have the time right away. "But did you guys do anything special for Christmas?"

"_Um, Rishid took me and Isis out for dinner, but that's about it. It's better than nothing though. I still wish I could've stayed long enough for Christmas back there in Japan. At least then Isis would've invited you over for dinner again and it would've been like the past couple of years… But hey, I sent you a little something. I know it won't make it overseas for a little while, but just think of it as a little belated present, okay?"_

Ryou could only imagine the cheeky grin on Malik's face. "M-Malik-kun, why did you do that? I-I didn't need for you to give me anything-"

"_Ryou-kun, I did it because I wanted to."_

"…Thank you." Ryou smiled slightly. He was about to say more, but a small series of beeps interrupted him. "Malik-kun, I'm sorry, but I gotta go. I have another call. Call me sometime, okay?"

"_Okay. Merry Christmas, Ryou-kun."_

Ryou smiled, and reluctantly, switched over to the other line. He could hear murmurs in the background, and he felt something swell up in his chest, feeling like recognized those whispers. "Hello?"

"_Ryou? Is that you?"_

"D… Daddy?" Ryou's voice trembled as he strung the cord of the telephone tight about his fingers. "W… Why are you calling?"

Bakura, who had been perfectly calm a few seconds, sat bolt upright at Ryou's words. He stared at the child with narrowed crimson eyes at the mentioning of the man, but he did not speak.

"_I wanted to at least call you in case the mail didn't get there in time-"_

"It didn't come," Ryou interrupted, sounding hurt as he lowered his gaze.

"_I know Ryou, and I'm sorry. I didn't realize the time and I guess it wasn't sent out fast enough…"_

Deep down in his heart, Ryou felt like his father was lying to him. After all those false promises of getting letters and them never showing up, all those broken words of coming home in time and then saying he couldn't… Ryou didn't say anything for a long time, tears swelling up in his eyes, but he made sure not to let them fall.

"_Ryou? You there?"_

The child didn't respond, his throat feeling like it had been sealed shut, tears blurring his vision. And then, a weak sob escaping his lips, Ryou began to cry, the phone clutched weakly in his hand.

Bakura growled, rather loudly, from his place on the couch as he watched Ryou break down. Bakura glided across the room, stopping at Ryou's side. The small boy didn't pay the man any attention, glancing at him for only a few seconds and then ignoring him.

"Ryou, listen to me. Don't believe his lies. Tell him how you feel," Bakura half-snarled, his anger rising, not for Ryou's tears, but mainly the cause. However, Bakura's words only made Ryou cry harder, and deep down, it felt like a fire of rage began to burn in the depths of Bakura's stomach. "Ryou… Let me handle this."

"N-No!" Ryou squeaked, finally managing to speak. "K-Kura, don't-"

But Bakura didn't pay the child any mind, roughly making his way into Ryou and taking control. As this occurred, Bakura was vaguely aware of the phone dangling in his hand, able to hear words escaping the receiver. Bakura didn't hesitate to raise it to his ear, his crimson eyes glimmering with anger as his hand tightened about the device. "I'm back."

"…_Ryou?" _The man's voice sounded a bit worried. _"Ryou, is… Is that you?"_

"No. I decided to take over this conversation, since Ryou's too busy crying to talk right now," Bakura snarled.

"_Who is this?"_

"That is none of your concern. But for now… Let's just say I'm Ryou's _friend." _Bakura smirked, his crimson eyes amused. "Isn't it funny how he feels more comfortable around _me _than he does his own father…? Speaking of comfort, I do hope you realize you've done everything but that to your son. If you ask me, you're a pathetic excuse for a father-"

"_I don't think you realize who you're talking to, you brat-"_

"Oh, I do, don't worry yourself. But I do think my theories are correct. I only met Ryou a few days ago, and I'm pretty sure I know more about him than his own father does. But then again, how can one expect to be close to someone when that person doesn't even care about them?"

"_Ryou is my son!" _The man screamed, obviously growing angry with Bakura's antics, but Bakura didn't care. _"I do care about him-"_

"Oh, is that what you think? When was the last time an actual letter showed up like you promised? When was the last time you actually arrived home on the promised time? When was the last time you even told Ryou you loved him?!" Bakura roared, a vein beginning to pop out on his forehead as his anger began to boil over. "It's no wonder he hates you! You obviously just use the kid, and it's obvious you're breaking him in the process! But you wouldn't know that, since you haven't set foot in this apartment in months!

"You don't deserve a child like Ryou, and he deserves so much better than you! Ryou is one of the most extraordinary children I have seen in a long time, but that doesn't mean he can't hurt like everyone else! The kid is only seven, and he gets himself up every morning, walks to school, makes his own meals, does his homework all by himself… He's covered in bruises from being bullied on the way and the way home from school, but I doubt you knew that. I hope you're satisfied with yourself, you dog. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a child to comfort."

And with that, Bakura hung up on the man. He sat there for a long time on the floor, before finally, he buried his face into his hands. He knew, deep down, that he had probably just made a horrible mistake. He was supposed to be improving Ryou's life, not making it worse by screaming at the child's father…

Leaving himself in control, Bakura decided to check up on Ryou. He closed his eyes, and slumped against the cabinets as his mind shifted into the correct area so that he and Ryou could interact in their minds.

He found himself in the hallway then, his palm pressed against the wall as he padded towards Ryou's soul room. Just like the few times before, Ryou was in his room, seated on the floor crying. Instantly, Bakura entered, making it over to the broken child in a few strides. The sound of his footsteps gained Ryou's attention, and the boy sniffled as he looked over his shoulder, chin trembling as he cried, eyes locking with Bakura's.

"I'm so sorry," Bakura whispered in sympathy, reaching out, and wiping away the majority of Ryou's teardrops with his thumb. Ryou squeezed his eyes shut in a reaction, breathing shaky, but he didn't object to Bakura's actions.

Then, to Bakura's surprise, Ryou held out his arms towards the man, his chocolate eyes saddened and hurt, signaling his craving for attention. With a sad smile, Bakura wrapped his arms about the little boy, and picked him up and off the ground. Ryou sniffled harshly, leaning against Bakura with his forehead buried into the man's neck. Bakura, with a small sigh, made his way over to the child's bed, and sat down, although he still held onto Ryou, rather tightly.

"…Y… You'd better not leave," Ryou finally muttered through his tears. "…I don't… I don't want you to leave…"

"I won't leave you, I promise," Bakura whispered as Ryou pulled back. Ryou's tiny hands were buried into the front of Bakura's shirt, his eyes reddened. For a minute or two, it looked like Ryou was unsure of whether or not Bakura was telling the truth. "Ryou, honestly, I'm not going to leave you behind. I'm not that heartless. Besides, I have no other reason to leave…"

Ryou gave a tearful smile then, before wrapping his arms about Bakura's neck as he squeezed his eyes closed to block out a new wave of tears. However, the force from Ryou's action and the sudden movement made Bakura lose his balance, and the man went tumbling onto his back on the bed, Ryou falling atop of him.

Bakura laughed, and Ryou raised his head in question. It had been one of the first times he had heard Bakura truly laugh, and it surprised him by how gentle and melodious it was. Bakura smiled as he brushed Ryou's bangs out of his eyes, but he said nothing.

Finally, Ryou rolled onto the bed at Bakura's side, cuddling up against him. Idly, Bakura played with a strand of Ryou's hair, curling the tip about his finger repeatedly as he laid there. Ryou, curled against his side, traced a shapeless pattern atop of Bakura's stomach, able to feel the man's line of muscle.

They stayed like that for a long time, neither speaking nor moving. Then, suddenly, Bakura felt Ryou's small hand stop atop of his abdomen, Ryou's forehead resting against the ridges of his ribcage, the child having fallen asleep.

With a small smile, Bakura carefully slid out from Ryou's grip, careful not to awake the slumbering boy. He got out of the bed, and gently wrapped his arms about Ryou, lifting his body slightly and moving him to the center of the bed, before grabbing the blankets and heaving them over the boy.

Bakura stood there for the longest time, just watching the little one sleep, before he sighed softly, tucking his hands into his pockets. Then, carefully, Bakura stooped down, and placed a quick kiss on Ryou's forehead and pulling away.

Quietly, Bakura crept out of the room, and grabbed the handle of the door, closing it silently behind himself. He stood there in the hallway, not taking his hand of the door handle, his eyes cast down onto his bare feet.

Finally, he released the door and made his way towards his own room. He clambered up onto his bed, folding his arms behind his head as he stared up at the bleak ceiling. Finally, he growled, pressing his palms to his face.

_What is wrong with me? _He thought to himself, almost angrily. _Why am I getting so…attached to him? Why do I care so much about Ryou even though I still barely know who he is? I know Marik is right, sort of. This may just be a gig set up by Master, but… It's supposed to be more than just a chore. Right?_

Aloud, Bakura groaned, rolling over and burying his face into his pillow. Why did this whole spirit thing have to be so _complicated?_

_

* * *

_

Chapter 6: End.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Gah, I'm still suffering from a minor case of writer's block, so it's been hard to piece my ideas together... Just let me know if I'm still doing okay or if I need to improve on something.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

One crimson eye slid open, sunlight pouring over a pale face as it crept in through the window. Bakura groaned, burying his face into his hands as he rolled onto his side, casting his gaze onto the bedside table to look for the clock. The little device signaled it was eight A.M.

Yawning, Bakura stretched before deciding to return control back to Ryou. He dropped control before prying himself free of the body, materializing in his false form at the bedside. He smiled slightly as he stared down at Ryou, who slept soundly, his mouth open slightly with his body curled up in the fetal position…

However, the peace lasted only a few minutes. A sudden, harsh pounding on the front door of the apartment shattered the stillness, also instantly tearing Ryou out of his peaceful slumber. He sat bolt upright, obviously alarmed. However, when the knocking continued, Ryou hurriedly got out of bed and padded out of his bedroom and towards the front door. Bakura didn't hesitate in following.

"It's probably the landlord," Ryou murmured softly as he grabbed the doorknob in his right hand, unhooking the latch that was the lock on the door with his other. However, as he pulled the door open, Ryou froze.

Before him stood a man he had never seen before. At first, all Ryou saw was a pair of black shoes, but he slowly raised his head, taking in that of dark jeans and a black jacket, zipped all the way up to the man's neck, until he got to the face of the stranger. It was pale, but not nearly as colorless as Bakura's. His eyes, a darkened violet, remained locked onto Ryou's own, causing his golden bangs to hang in his eyes, and the remainder of his hair – raven black with scarlet lining – swooped back, although it stuck up in several places. And then, the man spoke, just barely loud enough for the boy to hear, "So. You must be Ryou."

The man's violet eyes rose so that he was staring at Bakura, who remained frozen behind Ryou. "It seems you actually did meet my deadline."

Ryou's eyes widened, his muscles tightening. "Then… You're the one who made Bakura come here…?"

The man's eyes narrowed as he stared at Bakura, who backed up a pace. "I thought I told you not to give out your real name."

"…I… I know, sir, but I just thought since Ryou could see me-"

"You do not disobey my orders!" The man bellowed suddenly, advancing on Bakura, who swallowed uneasily. "Even Ishtar listens better than you!"

"But sir, just listen-"

"_Shut up!" _Bakura backed up another pace, floating just above the floor as the man's pupils contracted into mere slits, the amethyst color swallowing up his eyes, leaving no whites behind. "Maybe if you started listening to _me _in the first place we wouldn't be having this conversation!"

"B… But I…" Bakura's shoulders slumped, realizing he could not win the argument. All he could do was give in. "Yes, sir."

"That's what I thought." Bakura felt a bit of relief as he watched the man's eyes return to normal. "Now. Since your last assignment was a failure I decided now would be a good time to check up on you to see if you're even doing what you were assigned to. I need to have a conversation with your host without your input, so I suggest you scram for right now."

"…Yes sir." Bakura's eyes locked with Ryou's, and he gave the boy a small smile before vanishing from sight as he retreated back to the boy's mind.

Ryou gulped as the strange man turned towards him, his eyes unblinking as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "…W…What do you want from me?" Ryou asked, his voice trembling.

"I just want to ask you some questions," the man answered.

Ryou swallowed, trying to be brave, and challenged back, "Only if you answer mine too."

The man before him blinked, and then smirked, Ryou swallowing at the man's large canines. "You're smarter than I thought. Very well." The man sat down casually on the floor, which somewhat took Ryou by surprise. "You can begin your little interview then. I'll give you ten minutes."

Ryou blinked, and cautiously shut the door, for the open object was letting in waves of cold air. Ryou then stood there for a long moment before he finally spoke, his tiny hands curled into fists, "I wanna know your name."

The man before him did not speak for a long time, but suddenly his leer widened. "Ah yes, introductions. I forgot." He extended one hand towards Ryou, who blinked at the sudden action. "Call me Yami."

Ryou did not move. "Is that your real name?"

The man didn't even blink, his hand still extended. "No. That is a meager nickname, child. Why would I give you my real name, like Bakura so stupidly did?"

Instantly, Ryou felt a wave of rage wash up inside of him. "Kura isn't stupid! He just trusted me, and I trusted him, so of course he wouldn't just lie to me about something as simple as his name!"

Yami's amethyst eyes blinked only once, his smirk fading as he dropped his previously outstretched hand. "Is that what you think? That he did that because he trusted you? Bakura wasn't fast enough to get close to someone and he just became desperate, attaching himself to you as fast as he could to save his own skin-"

"You're wrong!" Ryou screamed, his small shoulders hunching up as he yelled at the man. "Kura loves me, and I love him! He wouldn't ever just use me, because he _cares!"_

Yami merely stared at the child, unfazed. "Are you quite finished?"

Ryou didn't answer, trying his hardest to glare at the man, but he was scared, his small hands sweaty and shaking at his sides.

"You're just like his old self," Yami mused aloud, rising onto his knees. Ryou yelped aloud as the man lunged out, grabbing the child's chin in one hand, staring deep into his eyes. "Just like the old Bakura. Your eyes do not lie."

"W… What?" Ryou blinked as Yami suddenly released his chin, taking a pace backwards. "I… I don't… What do you mean I'm like his 'old' self…?"

"That is up to Bakura to tell you about. I, on my promised terms, am not allowed to tell you about his past… So, I must request a different question, because for that one you will receive no answer."

Ryou crossed his arms over his small chest, frustrated. "Fine, then… I wanna know more about _you_."

"I'm Bakura's Master." Eyes colored violet didn't move at all. "And because of that he is tied to me and must serve me, if he wishes to still have a place to live."

"Why did you send him here? He didn't do anything wrong," Ryou said, his chocolate eyes narrowing slightly as he felt a seed of anger sprouting in his stomach.

"You act as if I can merely let anyone slide into my area of rule. The section I have control over is one of the highest ranked in our realm, and in order to gain your worth so that you can live there you have to go through with whatever order I give you. And in Bakura's case, that would be to find a body in five days, help the person, and then move on."

"Is everyone's assignment different?"

"Yes. Whatever you get is because of your previous life. Because of Bakura's incidents with his family, he was given the assignment I just told you of."

Ryou didn't budge. "Why are you the one to rule that section of the realm?"

"Power is passed on to whoever deserves it. In my case, I was qualified enough, and the seat was given to me."

Ryou was silent for a long time, staring at his feet, debating on whether or not to ask the question that had been bothering him for quite a while. Finally, he decided to, and asked softly, "When will Kura have to leave?"

"Whenever he makes your life a better one to live. Not only that, but he must also make you happy, not just upon the outside, but deep inside your heart. I do hope you realize, Ryou, that he _does _have a time limit-"

"How long?" Ryou asked, raising his head. Everything else he had forgotten by this point; he just wanted to know how long he had left…

Strangely, Yami hesitated in answering. He watched, still, his eyes calculating as he watched a teardrop glisten on Ryou's cheek as it fell, unnoticed by the small boy. Then, the man sighed, and leaned back, "I haven't determined that yet."

A little beam of hope shone itself upon Ryou's heart. Even though he didn't know how long he had left with Bakura, there was still a chance he would have quite a while to be with him…

"Your time is up," Yami said simply, leaning back slightly. "Now it's my turn. Do tell, Ryou, why do you even _like _that pathetic excuse of a demon?"

"Stop it," Ryou growled, the seed inside of him sprouting. "Stop calling him names. Kura hasn't done anything wrong, so stop making him sound like a bad guy! He's a good person and I love him! He's better than Daddy and he's like my big brother! He takes care of me, and he doesn't treat me like some little kid! He loves me!" Ryou yelled, his eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

Yami was unfazed by Ryou's outburst, and merely continued on. "He hasn't even helped you."

"You're wrong!" Ryou was trying not to cry, angry and torn at the same time. "Kura keeps me company, he takes care of me… H-He's always there for me when I need him… He protected me from Ushio. He told Daddy about everything that I was scared to… So stop badmouthing him!"

With a harsh sniff, Ryou rubbed almost angrily at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, whimpering softly. The child didn't notice Yami suddenly stand up, or take a pace towards him. However, Ryou froze as surprisingly strong hands grabbed the edges of his jaw, and jerked his head upwards. A small gasp escaped Ryou's lips as he was left staring into the man's amethyst eyes, the child frozen in place.

Those dark eyes stared deep into Ryou's own, as if searching for something. The two stood like that for a long time, before Yami suddenly released his grip on Ryou, who inched back, clutching at his shirt almost protectively.

Then, the man shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, and with an uncommon tone of calmness, said softly, "Bakura. Get out here."

In mere milliseconds Bakura drifted out of Ryou's body and rematerialized in his false form at the child's side. Ryou glanced up at the spirit, who kept his eyes downcast, as if worried.

"Bakura, even though your last test was a failure, I've decided to allow you to continue working on this one."

Bakura's head suddenly jerked up, his crimson eyes shocked. "S-Sir?"

"You heard me," the man growled, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And stop stammering. I hate it when you do that."

"Yes, sir, but… But why are you allowing me to stay?" Bakura cautiously asked, absently rubbing at his arm.

Yami's gaze fell onto Ryou, who blinked once, confusion obvious in his innocent eyes. The man nodded in Ryou's direction, "You should be thanking him. He's the reason I decided to let you stay."

Bakura's heart felt swollen in his chest, and he couldn't help but to smile. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me. I think you actually deserved it this time, Bakura." Yami made his way towards the door, opening it, before he stopped and glanced over his shoulder at Bakura, "but know now, Bakura, I hope to see things going even better upon my next visit."

And with that, the man vanished as he exited the apartment, the door clicking shut behind him.

It was then two pairs of eyes locked, and both boys smiled, Bakura first. Then Ryou suddenly beamed, tears of happiness glimmering in his eyes. "You get to stay… You get to stay, Kura…"

"Yes, Ryou. I get to stay." Bakura sighed as tears began to stream down Ryou's rounded cheeks, the child bowing his head as he rubbed desperately at his eyes. Bakura knelt down on the floor, but even then he continued to float above the tiles. He reached out, trying to wipe away Ryou's tears, but his hand passed through the child. Ryou just sniffed, and smiled a little, proving that he was okay.

"Ryou… Can I have control?" Bakura murmured gently, tilting his head towards the left just slightly. He wanted to be closer to Ryou; to comfort him, give him the desired attention, but how could he when he couldn't even touch him?

Ryou nodded, and sniffled, obeying without question. Bakura didn't bother to straighten up, and easily slipped inside of the boy's body. However, as soon as he gained control, he forced his mind once more to drift so that he could return to their soul rooms.

It was mere seconds before Bakura found himself in the hallway that stood like a barrier between their two rooms. With quick steps, Bakura made his way into Ryou's room. Surprisingly, the child was standing at the doorway, as if expecting Bakura would've shown himself.

Instantly, without hesitation or permission, Bakura wrapped his arms about Ryou and swept him off his feet and into his arms. Ryou wrapped his arms tightly about Bakura's neck in a form of a hug, and with his forehead buried into the man's neck, Ryou tearfully whispered, "You get to stay…"

"I know, Ryou. I know." Bakura squeezed the boy back, unable to help but smile. He hadn't ever felt so happy before…

Bakura once more sat down on the bed, Ryou in his arms. Ryou took thick handfuls of Bakura's shirt into his little hands as he pressed himself close, his breathing becoming shaky again as the tears began to swim in his eyes.

But for once, they weren't tears of misery; they were that of joy.

"Ryou, please, don't cry…" Bakura tilted Ryou's head back slightly, wiping away the child's tears, but it was pointless. "Come on…"

Ryou sniffed as he pressed his forehead back into the juncture of Bakura's neck and shoulder, "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Bakura said softly, closing his eyes, but he didn't let go of Ryou. Even when Ryou's tears ceased, he didn't let go. He didn't _want _to let go…

"Kura… I… I don't want you to go…" Ryou sniffed weakly as he dug his fingers into the collar of Bakura's shirt. "I don't ever want you to leave… Ever…"

"I don't either, Ryou." Bakura pulled back enough so that he could look into Ryou's eyes, and smiled slightly. "I'm not going to leave, okay?"

"Okay." Ryou cuddled back up against Bakura, smiling lightly. "Thanks, Kura."

"Don't mention it," Bakura replied with a small smile.

* * *

Ryou's eyes drifted open at the sound of whimpering and feeling something moving against him. For a long moment, his mind was fuzzy, as he had been ripped out of a deep sleep, before he turned his head to the left, surprised to find Bakura still lying next to him. What surprised him even more was the fact Bakura was practically clinging to him, holding him tightly in his arms like he was a stuffed animal, the spirit curled up into a ball as he held Ryou close. There was a look of pain on Bakura's face as he slept, his face sweaty and his entire body shaking.

"…Kura…?" Ryou whispered, unsure of whether or not to wake Bakura up. He gasped in a slight pain as Bakura's arms suddenly tightened about him, almost to the point of choking him. Ryou squirmed in Bakura's grip, not liking how Bakura's breathing was increasing or how violently his arms were shaking. "Kura, y-you're hurting me!"

Bakura's grip was inhuman, powerful and practically suffocating. Ryou gasped as Bakura's arms tightened about his ribcage, the spirit crying out rather loudly, as if he had been struck. "D-Dad… S-Stop…!"

Ryou's blood chilled as he heard Bakura's words, his voice pained and almost…scared?

"Stop!_" _Ryou's eyes widened, a terrified look in those chocolate orbs as Bakura suddenly screamed, still clinging to Ryou for dear life. "_Dad!_"

Suddenly, Bakura's eyes shot open, and he sat bolt upright, releasing his hold on Ryou. The child didn't move as he stared at Bakura; the spirit was hunched forward, panting harshly as he buried his angular face into his hands, both coated in sweat. Bakura didn't even seem to notice Ryou, shaking harshly as he dragged his fingers through his tousled bangs.

Cautiously, Ryou propped himself up onto his elbows, and murmured, "Kura?"

Bakura jumped, his head swiveling around, his eyes almost frightened as he stared at Ryou, for a long time. Then, with a small sigh, he lowered his eyes to the bed, but he didn't say anything to the confused boy.

"Kura… What happened…?" Ryou asked gently as he crawled closer to Bakura, sitting close to him as he stared up into the man's face. When Bakura didn't respond, Ryou frowned, "Kura, tell me."

"I'm okay." Bakura's answer was almost too quick for Ryou's liking. Not only that, but the demon's hands continued to shake, his face sweaty.

"…No, you aren't," Ryou responded, his frown deepening even more. "Kura… Please… Tell me what happened…"

"No, Ryou." Bakura's voice was strangely firm, and even secretive as he replied. He didn't look Ryou in the eyes, either. "I don't… I don't want to talk about it. It's nothing you should concern yourself with-"

"Kura, you were screaming and crushing me! You were scared!" Ryou was yelling, deeply worried about the man. "Please, talking about it should help-"

"I said no, Ryou!" Bakura suddenly leapt up from the child's bed, and ran from the bedroom, careful not to step on any toys or other belongings as he charged through the room and out of it. Ryou desperately followed, but by the time he made it out of his room and across the hall to Bakura's own room, the door had been shut, and locked.

Ryou desperately grabbed the handle and tried to open the door, but to no avail. "Kura, please… I just wanna know you're okay!" Ryou cried, tears glimmering in the child's eyes.

In his room, Bakura did not speak. He sat on the floor next to his bed, using the edge of the mattress to lean his head on. He stared up at the bleak ceiling, before he released a shaky breath, his right hand clutching defensively at his left arm. Ryou was right, but…

_I can't tell him. He's too innocent; I'd only taint him. It's too much for him to worry about… _Bakura swallowed as he bowed his head, rubbing at the spot upon his left arm. _I can't… I can't…_

He squeezed his eyes closed, his heart feeling heavy with pain. He didn't want to remember… Why, all of these years later, did those memories come back…?

_After I lost Dad… I didn't think I'd remember any longer… _The spirit curled into himself, whimpering softly as he clutched harder at his arm. His entire body hurt, and his eyes burned, like he had to cry, but he couldn't… _I don't want to remember…_

A part of him wanted to tell Ryou, but… He knew Ryou was too innocent to understand. He felt Ryou didn't deserve to be leaded with all his problems… Or, in this case, problems that faded away so long ago…

Bakura swallowed as he closed his eyes, leaning his head back again as he heard Ryou cry out again from the other side of the door, and his heart began to ache with pain. He really didn't know what to do…

He decided to keep quiet for a little while… At least long enough to piece himself back together.

* * *

Chapter 7: End.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm sorry about the lateness... My updates really aren't coming along as fast as I was hoping they would. Sorry.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Ryou sighed softly to himself, his little hands linked about the straps of his backpack as he made his way down the snow-coated sidewalk. The break had ended almost too quickly for the boy, and now, he was in school again, but he didn't want to go back. He knew, deep down, that he was afraid to face everything alone, with Malik being gone now and Bakura being invisible to all but himself…

The child stopped at the corner, a small sigh passing his lips as he stared at his school from across the street. A part of him didn't want to go, to just turn around and head back home, but he knew he couldn't do that. He sighed. He shouldn't have left so early…

Ryou made his way across the street, his small shoes dragging through the snow. He kept his head down, fingering the strap of the bag as he slipped silently through the gate of the school grounds, which was deserted due to the early hour. Ryou sighed softly to himself, a puff of air separating from his lips, visible to the cold. His head hurt…and deep down, so did his heart. Ever since the incident with Bakura's obvious raging nightmare, Ryou had been torn inside. It was hurtful enough that Bakura didn't want to tell him what had happened, but to run from him and lock himself away hurt far worse…

Ryou swallowed, tears glittering in his chocolate eyes as he stopped suddenly, halfway across the blacktop, having been headed towards the school building. It hurt… The child lifted a hand to his chest, wondering if Bakura was prying into his thoughts or blocking himself out… He couldn't tell.

"I need you," Ryou whispered, his voice trembling. "Please, I don't wanna do this alone… Malik-kun isn't here anymore, I don't have anyone else to help…"

Ryou stood there for a second, but nothing at all happened, besides the absent blowing of the wind.

"Kura, please," Ryou said to himself, a little louder. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I didn't mean it… I… I just wanna know you're okay… I'm sorry…"

"Who are you talking to?"

Ryou jumped at the voice, and whirled, swallowing uneasily, feeling as if he had shrunk as he stared up at the upperclassman. "U-Ushio…. W-When did you…?"

There were bandages plastered over his cuts and bruises, most of them upon his face. Ryou squeaked, terrified, as the boy seized the collar of his uniform. He jerked Ryou roughly off his feet, causing Ryou's backpack to slip and fall with a loud _thud _onto the snow-coated ground.

"W-What did I do?" Ryou whimpered, tears glistening in his large eyes as he stared at the teen. The boy cried out loudly as he was struck, instantly breaking down into tears.

"Shut up!" The upperclassman roughly cuffed Ryou across the back of the head, before dropping him. Ryou fell harshly on his rear, whimpering softly as he cried, desperately wiping at his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the tears. "I'll show you, you little psycho! No one messes with me and gets away with it, you hear me?!"

"L-Let me go! Please, leave me alone!" Ryou was sobbing as Ushio grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and began to drag him away from the school. Ryou barely managed to snag his backpack as he was yanked away.

The teen had pulled Ryou around the school until they were around the back of it, and through the rusty gate leading to the cracked blacktop. With it being off-limits to students, it was deserted, and Ryou knew, deep down, that no one would come to save him.

Ryou cried out loudly as he was pushed down, a little whimper escaping his throat as he looked up at the boy towering over him. Ryou scrambled back a little, terrified to the bone. Absently, he whispered to himself, "K-Kura…"

"You freak!" Ryou cried out sharply as the bully grabbed a large sum of his snowy hair and dragged him to his feet. "Look at you, still talking to yourself! I've been putting this off because of the break, but now that we're back, I'm going to make you bleed and bruise so much you'll never even think of _looking _at me again!"

"B-But I didn't-" Ryou let out a scream as a fist pounded into the side of his ribs. Ryou gasped as Ushio grabbed him by the collar, before his other large, square hand dove into his pocket. Ryou gasped as the upperclassman slid out a switchblade, and then, as the blade was flicked out, it was instantly at the child's throat. Ryou was sobbing, his breathing so quick it was near hyperventilation.

"You scream again, and I swear I'll slit your throat, you understand me?!"

Ryou nodded, just slightly. He jerked back, letting out a small noise of distress as the blade suddenly swept straight through the sleeve of his uniform. "S-Stop! I-It's my uniform, I can't-"

Ryou cried out as a sudden fire erupted in his arm, practically wailing as he noticed the cut up sleeve of his uniform becoming stained bright crimson.

"Shut up, or I'll be more than pricking some skin, and it won't be your arm!" Ushio was screaming, completely in Ryou's face. "And stop crying, you girl! You're so weak!"

"N… No…" Ryou's arm was throbbing, but he felt numb otherwise. Everything was suddenly smearing together, and he felt suddenly strange, like there was nothing around him but emptiness…

Ryou didn't notice the blood leaking down his arm, merely being absorbed by the jacket of his uniform. The child had lost too much blood to stay conscious, unaccustomed to the pain and the loss of the vital fluid to hold on.

As he was shoved, Ryou collapsed into the snow, wilting instantly on his side. Blood had blossomed brightly on his jacket, and it wasn't ceasing to flow. Ushio harshly kicked Ryou in the stomach, but when Ryou didn't react, he snorted, and flicked the blade of the pocketknife closed. He turned, about to leave, when he heard someone cough.

He turned back around, finding 'Ryou' sitting up, coughing rather loudly into his small hands. The boy managed to stop, and looked up at him, his eyes growing dark with a sudden rage.

Bakura had taken over only seconds ago. He had blocked Ryou's end of the link, but when a pain had erupted in his arm as he had been sitting in his soul room, he had taken down the mental block and had decided to take over once more, knowing something bad was happening.

Bakura was about to take care of the teenager, but he could feel his arm numbing. He quickly undid all the buttons of the overcoat, and stripped off his jacket, leaving himself in a white, short-sleeve undershirt. Bakura frowned at the nasty slice, which was jagged, swollen, and severely reddened. Realizing the blood wasn't slowing, Bakura raised the limb to his limbs, and sucked tenderly at the wound, trying to at least get some blood off the surface.

"You little freak!" Bakura grunted slightly in surprise and pain as a fist collided with the side of his head, causing his vision to go fuzzy for a second or two. "First you talk to yourself, and here you are literally licking at your wounds! What's next, you psycho? Are you going to start killing people next too?"

"Maybe," Bakura replied, his voice practically a rumble in the back of his throat from anger. He seized the jacket from the ground, and with one hand, began to wrap the material about the cut. He took one sleeve between his teeth and the other into his free hand, easily tying the sleeves in a knot to hold the wrap in place.

His knees shaking, and with a hand pressed to the brick wall behind him, Bakura stood up with a soft grunt. His arm was throbbing faintly, but it was starting to numb from the pain. He swore under his breath, realizing it was probably far worse than just a little cut.

Bakura gasped as a large hand shot out, and shackled about his windpipe. The teen before him chuckled slightly, heaving Bakura off his feet without any difficulty. Bakura began to gasp, his fingernails leaving crescent shapes on the man's hands as he clawed at them in a desperate hope to free himself; he couldn't do anything else, for Ryou's body was too small.

To his surprise, seconds later he was thrown roughly to the ground like a toy, and he whimpered slightly as he landed roughly on the snowy concrete. He cried out, however, as a boot suddenly plunged into his ribcage, and he instantly began to cough, curling up slightly in self-defense. "Too bad I won't just strangle you. You deserve far more than that, you freak!"

"Y-You'll wish you would've by the time I'm done with you," Bakura wheezed, slightly worried when he realized his breathing was rattled. "Y-You would think you would've learned from the first experience, but I guess you're too stupid-"

"_Shut up!" _Bakura cried out softly, quickly raising his arms about his head as he felt a blow land on the back of it.

_I have to do something. _As he struggled to defend himself, curled into a ball, Bakura's mind was racing. _I can't let Ryou get hurt anymore… But what am I supposed to do now? He has the upper hand this time, not me. And I can't get the advantage until I can actually get up… But how can I do that when he's already trying to smash my brains out?_

A large hand suddenly linked about his injured arm, and Bakura yelped slightly in pain, jerking in that direction. When the hand only tightened, Bakura snarled and without hesitation, bit down as hard as he possibly could on the pale body part, positive his sharp canines broke the skin.

As soon as Ushio jerked his hand back, Bakura scrambled up onto his hands and knees and scooted backwards, stumbling onto his feet, pressing his back against the brick wall as he breathed heavily. Ushio snarled, snagging the collar of Bakura's shirt as he raised a fist. "You _mutt!"_

Bakura barely managed to duck his head to the left, hearing a satisfying _crunch _as Ushio missed, his fist plowing into the brick, the teen howling in pain. Bakura smirked slightly, licking his lips, savoring the aftertaste of the blood upon his tongue as he wretched himself free of the teen's grip. As quick as he could, he swept to the side, his foot slamming into the back of Ushio's kneecap, sending him crashing to the blacktop.

"More like you're the mutt," Bakura growled lowly, grinding the heel of his shoe on top of the teen's obviously broken knuckles, chuckling softly as the male began to cry out in pain. "Look at you. A few broken bones and you're sobbing like a baby. Take a look in the mirror."

Heaving up his leg, Bakura kicked out, putting as much force out as he could, slamming the toe of his shoe into the male's ribcage, smirking at the coughing spell that took over the bully. "How does it taste?"

Bakura stooped down, and plunged his hand into the man's pocket, whipping out the switchblade. He skillfully flicked out the shiny blade, stains of Ryou's blood glistening on the metal. He held the blade before the teen's eyes, the tip just millimeters away. "I warned already. If you even dare to _look _at me, I swear I won't hesitate in slaughtering you." With a meager flick of his wrist, Bakura skillfully let the blade dance, sweeping it across Ushio's shoulder blade in a somewhat deep cut. "I'm sick of you… And I don't like to be irritated. It angers me. And anger, for me…" Bakura pressed the tip of the blade against his throat. "It will result in your funeral."

His crimson eyes were dark and narrowed in rage, blood glistening just above his left eyebrow from where he had touched his face, his hand bloodied and the jacket having blossomed with bright red. "Do I make myself clear?"

At the teen's nod, Bakura snorted, and exerted a final, swift kick to Ushio's stomach. Bakura flicked the blade back in a flash and placed it in his back pocket, and sighed. He heaved up Ryou's backpack, flinging it over his shoulder, and walked away, merely leaving the man behind. _He's still conscious… He'll make it out alive._

Bakura slipped unnoticed out of the gate and made his way across the campus and to the front entrance, and padded out of the schoolyard. He made his way across the street, and began to head in the direction of Ryou's apartment.

"Ngh… Why does it hurt so badly…?" Bakura tightened his grip about his arm, his teeth chattering slightly as he hurried down the sidewalk, his skin reddening from the wind. The short-sleeved undershirt wasn't nearly enough to keep him warm, and the blood loss had also caused his warmth to decrease.

He knew he had to hurry and get back to the house; he couldn't see anyone, and he needed to take care of the wound on his own. With Ryou a human, Bakura knew he could easily bleed to death…

_I'll have to take care of this myself… I may even have to stitch it up… _Bakura staggered, and his hand quickly shot out, pressing against one of the nearby buildings to hold himself up. _But… If that's what it takes, then…_

He tried to take another step, but merely stumbled. He swallowed, bowing his head, causing his snowy hair to fall into his unfocused eyes. _I just hope I can make it in time…_

* * *

"_Kura! Kura, stop!" Ryou sprinted down the narrow corridor of his apartment, as fast as his short legs would take him. Bakura's back faced the child as the demon stood in the open doorway, the chilly winds of winter stirring his mane of silver hair._

"_Wait!" It seemed like he couldn't catch up; Ryou desperately pressed on, and finally made it over. He collapsed against Bakura, his head falling against his hip, his fingers tightly screwing into the man's jeans. "P-Please, don't leave… Don't go…"_

"_Get off me." Bakura's voice was cold and annoyed as he spoke, but his crimson eyes didn't leave from their focused point of the outside world._

"_B-But… Kura…" Tears flooded the boy's eyes as he clung to the demon, desperately. "N-No…"_

"_I said get off." Bakura managed to shake the child off of him, and ran outside. Ryou stood there for a brief second, the demon sprinting across the icy steps, before taking a flying leap from the top of the wooden staircase._

"_Kura!" Ryou screamed, charging after the demon, but he froze when Bakura didn't fall. He hovered in the air for a long moment, a little rim of light dusting the outline of his body, before he let out a cry of pain._

_Ryou was frozen in the doorway, his eyes wide as he watched. Leathery black wing suddenly sprouted from Bakura's back, the talon-tipped objects easily tearing through the cotton of his black shirt, and instantly spreading to full length. Instantly, loose feathers were ripped out, and were taken by the wind._

"_K… Kura?" Tears glistened in Ryou's eyes as he stood in the doorway, shivering and afraid._

_The demon turned for milliseconds to look at him, and Ryou felt as if his blood had chilled. Bakura's eyes were a brighter shade of crimson, and nearly aglow. Unnaturally oversized canines pushed past his pale lips. His hands, which were dangling at his sides, were stiff, and Ryou noticed the long, sharp claws tipping each of his fingers. His huge, black wings beat once in the air, suspending him._

"_D… Don't go…" Ryou clung to the doorframe as he staggered forwards a step, pale in the face and his knees trembling. The child didn't even realize he was crying, little rivulets of tears cascading down his cheeks. "P… Please…"_

"_I don't need you anymore. I never needed you." Bakura upraised the collar of his shirt, which proceeded to hide his jaw line. "Get over yourself. I never liked you… How stupid could you be to believe a demon like me could care about a pathetic little human like you?"_

"_N-No!" Ryou stumbled out of the apartment and onto the wooden steps, towards the man, but he was taking off already. "No! Kura, no! Don't go! _Don't, _please!"_

_He began to sob as he watched the man zip away, merely leaving him standing there as if he was absolutely nothing of importance._

_The child swallowed harshly as he clutched at his chest, gasping shallowly as he noticed the splotch of blood taking form on the front of his shirt, realizing it was from Bakura's separation. He opened his mouth to scream-_

"Wake up! Ryou, wake _up!"_

Bakura hovered quietly at Ryou's bedside, giving a sigh of relief as Ryou's violent jerking stopped, and his chocolate eyes eased open. _It was only a dream… He's okay._

But Bakura didn't like the ocean of fear he could see in Ryou's eyes. At the sight of the spirit, Ryou quickly rolled over onto his side so that his back faced the spirit. He bit his lip, struggling not to cry, a wave of fresh tears swarming in his eyes.

"Ryou? Ryou, what's the matter?" Bakura inched closer, but stopped when Ryou let out a harsh sob. "Ryou…?"

"Y-You hate me." Bakura frowned in confusion at Ryou's words, not understanding. "Y-You're only using me…"

"Ryou, what are you talking about? Why would I just use you? Of course I care, why else would I have stuck around for so long?"

"Y-You only want me for my body." Ryou was shaking, struggling not to cry. He didn't dare turn to face Bakura. "J… Just go away…"

"What's gotten _into _you?" Bakura sighed slightly as he advanced towards the child, a frown etched deeply into his features. "Come on, Ryou, it was just a dream-"

"Stop it!" Ryou released a loud cry as the tears finally broke through. "J-Just stop… L-Leave me alone…"

He felt so dizzy… Ryou's breathing was struggled as he laid there, feeling like his lungs couldn't take in enough air… And why did he feel so…numb?

Bakura sat there for a long moment, mute, before he sighed gently. He floated closer, noticing Ryou shiver as a response. "Ryou… Do you remember what happened this morning?"

Hesitantly, Ryou glanced over his shoulder to glance at Bakura, eyes confused, as if he couldn't recall…

"Did you even notice your arm?"

Slowly, fearfully, Ryou glanced down at his short limb, his eyes widening slightly at the clean-cut bandages, tied neatly about his arm and somewhat stained with blood. Then, he gazed back up at Bakura, his large chocolate eyes questioning.

"Ushio started quarreling with you again and you passed out after you were cut… I took care of everything, your arm included." Bakura's gaze focused on the thin limb. "I had to clean it and stitch it up. It was too deep to merely let it heal up on its own, so I had to take care of it myself… Let's just say that I've had a lot of practice with injuries…"

Ryou frowned slightly at the spirit, who looked suddenly very tired. The man pulled thin fingers through his bangs, which Ryou was positive had dried blood smeared in due to the color difference along the tips.

"I'm going to bed." Bakura said then, drifting off of Ryou's own mattress and turning so that his back faced the child. "It's almost four in the morning and I haven't gotten any sleep…"

"Why not?" Ryou asked, almost shyly, peeping over his shoulder at Bakura.

"I've been waiting on you to get up," Bakura muttered, glancing at the child. "I knew if you woke up alone in a different location you'd probably flip out, so…"

Bakura fell silent, the various parts of his body breaking off like thin wisps of smoke. Ryou scowled at this. "Kura, why did you do all that for me?"

Strangely, Bakura hesitated, his crimson eyes unfocused as he stared at the floor. He knew those nightmares had to have come from insecurity because of his regular lifestyle, but in his heart, Bakura felt like this was a signal he was a failure. He wasn't good enough to even give Ryou a safe feeling, or to even show himself trustworthy… Even now, years later, Bakura still felt like he wasn't good enough.

"Kura?" Ryou crawled closer to the edge of the bed, gasping at the pain that shot through his arm, so he stopped.

"…It probably isn't good enough proof that I care, is it?" Bakura's shoulders sagged slightly, but he didn't turn around to face Ryou. "I wish I could do more, Ryou, but I can't help that I'm not good enough."

"W… What do you mean?"

"I keep letting you get hurt, both physically and emotionally, and I'm obviously not the right person to be trying to improve your life. If I was I wouldn't be screwing up all the time…"

"N-No, don't say things like that!" Ryou tried to climb down from the bed, but Bakura was already vanishing. "Kura, no!"

But by the time Ryou had climbed down from his bed, Bakura had already vanished from sight, having retreated to his soul room.

If he had been in the man's room, he would've seen Bakura lean against the closed door and sink onto his rear with his back against the door, and bow his head in shame.

* * *

Chapter 8: End.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ugh, this took a while to post... I rewrote this chapter a few times because I wasn't satisfied with the earlier results, so I hope you like it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Ryou was silent as he shrugged on the jacket of his uniform, struggling to ignore the ugly black stitches running across his arm. After putting on the jacket he fluffed his hair out from the ridges of the collar. He had already brushed his hair and his teeth, so he was just about ready. But he still had one more thing to do.

He rummaged through the drawer of the dresser and extracted a little black box. He didn't hesitate in opening it. Inside sat a small brush and what appeared to be an unusually pale shade of foundation.

Ryou felt a need to put it on, despite what people would think of him if they found out. He would rather be wearing what everyone would deem as a girl's cosmetic than for everyone in his school to see the bruises…

_I don't want to go back. _Ryou lowered his gaze as he packed the material back up. _Everyone is going to be staring at me again, just like last time. No one is going to sit with me, just like last time. No one will talk to me, because no one will care, just like last time. Kura doesn't even care anymore…_

Ever since the fight they had two days ago, Bakura hadn't separated from Ryou at all, not even once. This greatly upset Ryou, although he struggled not to show it as he tried to forget about the spirit, but that was easier said than done.

With a small sigh, the boy slipped out of the bathroom and headed towards the front door, snagging his backpack into the crook of his arm in the process. He placed a small hand against the wall as he pulled on his shoes before he pried the door open. Standing in the doorway, Ryou paused, oblivious to the cold air practically slapping against his body as he stared out from his somewhat dark apartment and into the world.

"Where are you going?"

Strangely, Ryou didn't even flinch at the sudden voice, which he easily recognized as Bakura's. Instead, the boy stiffened, his hand tightening upon the doorknob as he stared out and onto the deck leading out from his apartment, which was coated in a thin sheet of ice.

"Ryou? Are you okay?" Ryou couldn't hear him approaching, but he could just feel it, able to detect that the spirit was growing closer. "Ryou-"

"Shut up!" Ryou suddenly screamed, his shoulders hunching forward. "Quit acting like you care, Kura! I know you don't! You haven't spoken to me in two days and all of a sudden you just come back acting like everything is okay, but it isn't!"

"Ryou, just listen-"

"No! I don't wanna listen to you anymore! I…" Ryou froze at that moment as he turned on his heel to face the spirit, his face shocked at the man's appearance.

The spirit looked so drained. There were huge smudges of black under his eyes, his hair matted, and his skin paler than usual. As he drifted, just a mere inch off the floor, he was hunched forward, causing some of his silver hair to fall into his face as he stared at the child.

"…I'm sorry." Bakura sighed deeply, pulling his fingers through his bangs as he looked at the floor. "I didn't… I just…"

"…What happened to you?" Ryou murmured, dumbstruck at his other's obviously horrible appearance.

"…I haven't slept in a while," Bakura muttered, his feet nearly touching the floor. "So I don't really have that much energy to get out of my room, let alone take up a false form…"

"Why haven't you been able to sleep?" Ryou asked softly, grabbing the doorknob and gently closing the door behind himself to block out the cold. "And don't lie about it. I wanna know what's really going on… You keep acting like yourself and then start acting funny and lock yourself up…"

"…I've been thinking about some things," Bakura said softly, not meeting Ryou's gaze.

"Tell me." Ryou pressed on, approaching his other with a frown printed upon his face, and he stared up at him. "Kura, no more secrets. You keep hiding things from me, and I don't want it to be like that between us. I mean, you're living in me, and I barely know anything about you…"

"It's not like I know much about you, either, you know," Bakura muttered.

"You never ask," Ryou protested, crossing his arms. "I answer your questions when you ask me, but when I ask you, you just ignore me."

"Ryou… You have to understand that I'm much older than you. There are some things that some of us older people are supposed to know why you younger ones needs to be kept clean so that you can maintain your innocence for as long as you possibly can-"

"You sound just like Daddy," Ryou cried out suddenly, taking a step back. "You always lie to me and cover everything up! Why can't you just for once tell me something instead of keeping it a secret? Do you not trust me?"

"No, Ryou, I just…" Bakura shook his head. "You just wouldn't understand."

"Why would you say that?" Ryou growled slightly, practically glaring up at the spirit. "I told you I'm not a baby anymore! I can understand everything you talk about if you explain it enough, but you just don't want to! You're just a coward! You're just scared that I'll judge you!"

Bakura was mute.

"…Never mind." Ryou turned away from the man, and grabbed the doorknob in his small hand. "Just never mind. I'm going to school."

Bakura's shoulders sagged as he watched the boy exit the apartment and slam the door shut after himself. He drifted over to the window and peered out, noticing Ryou, who was struggling down the ice-coated stairs of his apartment, biting his lip harshly. Bakura knew this was in an attempt not to cry, and he instantly felt guilt collecting inside of him. He pulled himself away from the window with an elongated sigh, and pulled his fingers through his bangs. His entire body hurt, and he was struggling to ignore this, but he couldn't.

The spirit allowed himself to retract back into Ryou's mind, and easily locked himself within his soul room. He made sure the blockade was set upon the door, and that he had blocked both ends of the link with Ryou.

He slowly made his way across his soul room, careful of small items triggered through memory and his small collection of other possessions. He took a seat on the floor next to his bed with his legs outstretched and his arms dangling at his sides. Inhaling sharply, the spirit grabbed the lip of his shirt, and proceeded to drag it off of himself, tossing it carelessly to the floor. Still clad in a white undershirt, Bakura examined himself with dull eyes. His thumb trailed feather-light over the markings on his arms, sweeping gently from wrist to elbow, and then up to his shoulder.

They were so ugly, turning his skin different hues and sticking out so obviously. And there were just so _many _of them.

Bakura groaned, practically slamming his head back into the railing on his bed. Why did everything always have to come back in this cycle, with him falling dead on the facts of the past?

Bracing himself, Bakura raised his hand to his lips, and, baring his sharp canines, proceeded to bite into his wrist. He growled slightly, his back arching as he bit as hard as he possibly could. He winced, feeling the skin break easily under his grip, but he didn't stop. Shamefully, but unable to cease his actions, Bakura continued to tear through his skin. Finally, he ripped his jaw free, staring at the mess of his wrist. Blood dribbled over the rip in his flesh, and, closing his eyes, Bakura raised the object to his lips. He then licked over the large puncture wound, moaning softly in the process, and hating himself for it, but he couldn't _help _it.

It was so addicting to the spirit. He loved the pain that came, for it took his mind off the memories of what caused those other scars. The blood was coppery on his tongue, and he loved it, despite his internal disgust at his actions. Despite his unusual personality as a demon, he, just like everyone else, found a near addiction to the fluid, and this… He _loathed _this about himself. So instead of - like most demons - going out attacking others to satisfy their craving, he took it out on himself. He didn't want to hurt innocent people…

He never wanted Ryou to find out about this disgusting side of himself: his insane side that a dangerous mixture of that of a demon and a masochist. And what really put him down was that he loved every second of it. It was in this time of his psychological struggle he always began to hate every fiber of himself, and he wanted nothing more than to just disappear completely. And he hated it, because then he just had an urge to keep going, and to increase the damage.

He jerked suddenly, and gripped unconsciously at his chest as he felt a sharp contraction occur inside of his ribcage. He bit his lip, staring down at the floor as it grew worse. He knew what this meant: emotional strain on his host.

Cautiously, Bakura opened his end of the link, just a little bit to get a grip on what was going through Ryou's mind. Somehow, in milliseconds, a practical tsunami of emotion bombarded Bakura's mind, and he cried out in pain, cradling his head in his hands, but he didn't close the link. He struggled to pick the emotions apart from each other, and he managed to clearly make out that of anger and misery… And was that _love _he detected? However, everything else blended viciously together, and Bakura didn't know what to make of it. Despite the pain violently assaulting his temples, he didn't dare close the link back up. Instead, he merely opened it further, gritting his teeth in pain. Thoughts spilled into his mind, and he struggled to control the flow. Bakura felt guilt swimming in his insides as he heard reoccurring statements of hate and mistrust, and practically desolation…

Bakura dug his fingers into his bangs, struggling to close the link, but the force of his host's emotions was too much of a current. Bakura cried out in pain, unable to block it all out. His skull felt like it was cracking, and his entire body began to ache and scream in agony. It hurt too much.

His body was going into rough tremors, and with a choked cry, he pulled back a fist, and slammed it to the floor. Pain exploded in his hand, but he didn't care. His vision was blurring as he repeatedly pounded the floor, his body shaking violently. He bit into his arm as hard as he possibly could, drawing blood to the surface, but he didn't bother to lick the wounds clean. He was struggling violently to find a way to take his mind off the pain, but it wouldn't stop.

He eventually wore himself out, and slumped forward, the bones in his back jutting as his body curved. Blood crawled down his arm and the tile of his bedroom had blossomed with crimson from his knuckles. He continued to shake violently, eyes red-rimmed as he tugged at his hair. He was struggling to breathe, his vision smudging before him.

_Stop… Please… _Bakura's erratically trembling hand went to his shirt, and he desperately clutched at his chest. _Ryou…_

It wouldn't stop. Bakura's breath was coming in short, ragged pants, and he wasn't sure if he had every felt an emotional load this severe in his life. The demon gritted his teeth, nails digging into his arm as he clutched desperately at it, struggling to ignore the pain. Finally, he couldn't hold it in.

A scream tore violently from his throat as he slouched over, back stiff and both hands clutching tightly to his chest. His hands grew wet in milliseconds and the cotton shirt he was wearing suddenly blossomed in red. Blood.

His eyes were unfocused, fingers coated in crimson. Bakura curled deep into himself, shaking as he bowed his head. His shirtfront was splattered in his own fluid, and it was spilling over his shaking hands.

He moaned softly, everything growing fuzzy. The once violent pain was now a dull thumping in his temples, and the emotional overload was growing weaker…

Bakura suddenly collapsed onto his side, lips parted slightly and his eyes closed. His hands did not move from his chest; both were splattered in red. And as the spirit fell into unconsciousness, the end of his own link was cut off just as abruptly. The dam had finally been closed.

-

Ryou gasped softly, the mechanical pencil in his fingers slipping from his grip as he pressed a hand to his forehead. He suddenly felt sick, and his vision was blurry. There was a dull pain within his chest…

Slowly, his hand went up, swallowing slightly as most stared at him. After all, he barely ever did so. "What is it, Ryou?"

"C… Can I go to the bathroom…?"

Ryou felt heat rise into his face as he noticed practically everyone in the class was staring at him, even his teacher. Maybe it was because he _never _asked to go, even when he _really _needed to?

"Um… Yes. Go ahead."

Hurriedly, Ryou rose from his desk, and practically sprinted out of the classroom. He raced down the lit-up corridor as fast as he could, breathing heavily. His vision was violently smudging, and the pain in his chest was growing worse. Ryou cried out as he crashed into the line of lockers, and, with a shake of his head, merely kept going.

He finally managed to find the bathroom, and he ran inside. After making sure all the stalls were empty, he made his way into the largest one, locked the door, and slid to the tiled floor. It hurt so much…

He upraised his knees so they were pressed against his chest, and he folded his arms about his kneecaps. Tears swam in his eyes as he sat there, and softly, Ryou whispered to himself, "Kura… I'm sorry…"

Ryou cried silently, hugging his knees tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to block out the pain, along with the memories flowing throughout his brain. He hiccupped, clearly able to remember the spirit's appearance, before it was twisted into that exhausted and hollow being. This, on its own, was enough to cause the boy guilt, but…

"I don't hate you," Ryou whispered amidst thick tears, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm sorry… Please, I don't want to lose you… I just wanna see you again…"

Ryou's eyes widened as he noticed a little orb of golden light glowing about the area of his heart, no bigger than that of a marble. He brought his trembling hands closer to it, and barely managed to hold back a scream as pain suddenly burned throughout his body. In a split second, Ryou hunched forward, his eyes blank, and his fingers buried into his shirt. By the boy's appearance, he seemed to have fainted, but in reality, his consciousness had merely retracted further into his mind… In this case, his soul room.

-

Ryou blinked as he sat up, slowly at first. He took a look around, confused as he came to the realization that he was in soul room. This, however, confused him. He didn't remember losing control of his body to Bakura, so how did he retract like this? And what was with that little golden glow he saw? He didn't hurt anymore, either…

He stood up slowly, using the wall for support. Quietly, he made his way across the little room and over to the door. Standing up on tiptoe he grabbed the handle and pulled it down, causing the door to click open. Ryou quickly padded out and into the hallway, closing the door softly after himself. He blinked as he turned to look at Bakura's room; the door was open, just a sliver. This was strange to Ryou; after all, the door was always closed.

Ryou made his way across the hallway and over towards the door. Swallowing down his fear and trying to be brave, Ryou pushed against the door at first to open it, but froze as he smelled something. He recognized this scent…

Gulping, Ryou pushed again at the heavy door, just enough to peek inside. He instantly regretted this, however, at the sight before him.

"Kura!" Ryou screamed, tears swelling in his chocolate orbs as he squeezed his way through the not entirely open doorway, and sprinted inside the man's room and up to the unconscious spirit.

Ryou ignored the growing sum of blood, not noticing the disgusting sound his shoes made as he stepped in the fluid. He collapsed onto his knees before the spirit, tears spilling over his cheeks as he cried. His hands shook violently as he took Bakura's hand into his own, turning it over, and feeling sick at the sight of the blood coating his skin and that soaked his shirt.

The child was sobbing, practically hyperventilating. Ryou didn't care about the mess about him, only about his precious other. Tears spilled over from his brown eyes, and some of the crystal droplets splattered onto the already blood-laden face of the demon.

Suddenly, he felt it; a tiny twitch of Bakura's fingers. The man's hand was wrapped tight in Ryou's own, and the child blinked rapidly, struggling to see what had just happened through his tears.

Despite this movement, the dark did not awaken, or make any major actions. Ryou bit his lip, and as careful as he possibly could, began to remove the demon of his clothing. Ryou blushed a deep shade of pink in the process, but he needed to remove the fabric to get a look at the wound.

Finally, he stripped the man of his undershirt, setting it in his lap so that the fabric wouldn't get any further soaked. With tears cascading down his face, Ryou shakily raised the man's shirt, and wiped away some of the excess blood, staining the white clothing further.

With the wound mostly clean, Ryou could see the wound. It was a small gap, and couldn't have been any bigger than a bullet hole. What confused Ryou, however, was the fact that the hole was in the shape of what seemed to be a star.

"…Kura…" Ryou squeezed the demon's hand tightly. He felt a bit of relief as he realized the wound was no longer bleeding, but the man's pale skin was splattered in it, and it was flicked upon his pale face. "Kura… I don't wanna lose you… I'm sorry… I didn't…" Ryou took in a shaking breath, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "I don't wanna lose you like I did Mum…"

His chin trembled at the flow of memories… Screaming, tears, blood… So much blood… Shattered glass, a mere fragment of a vehicle… And the _blood…_

Ryou's weak crying erupted into sobbing, practically wailing as he sat there. He held the demon's hand tightly in his own, which was cold. He shifted, moving the demon's head into his lap and refusing to release his hand.

"I don't wanna lose you… I really don't, Kura…" Ryou was sobbing uncontrollably, his fingers absently tightening about Bakura's. "I-I'm sorry about all those things I said… I didn't mean them, I… I just…"

Ryou bit his lip, struggling to see through his tears. He stared down at his friend, his other; he noticed the many marks that had swelled upon his arms. Were those…bite marks?

Ryou's eyes fell again onto the odd shaped star on Bakura's chest, which no longer bled for whatever reason Ryou didn't know of. He just didn't understand…

"I'm sorry," Ryou whispered, biting his lip, and closing his eyes, struggling to block out a new wave of tears. "I'm really sorry…"

"D…Don't…b… b-be…"

Ryou's eyes shot open, and he looked down, tears dripping from his wide eyes as he stared down at the man. Bakura was limp, his eyes foggy and glazed over, and the spirit nearly reeked of blood. He did his best to squeeze back Ryou's hand, for it was the only thing he had the strength to do…

"K… Kura…" Ryou smiled, just slightly. "Y-You're… You're awake…"

A mere millimeter of a smile crossed Bakura's swollen lips, which had been kissed with red. He tried his best to sit up, but his body wouldn't obey, and he just left himself there, lying on the floor with his head in the boy's lap. He didn't seem to notice his shirt was missing, or the fact that he was no longer bleeding. Either that, or he just didn't care.

"…R… Ry…ou…?" Bakura's voice was weak, his eyes barely open. They practically rolled back in his head as he tried to turn his head, which he couldn't manage, for he was too weak.

"What is it?" Ryou asked softly, feeling a little glow of warmth coming from his darkness's hand. "Does it… Does it hurt? Are you gonna be okay?"

Again, a meager inch of a smile showed on Bakura's face, and he nodded, just slightly. However, his grin quickly melted away, and his eyes began to close as he whispered in his nearly missing voice, "I… I-I'm…so…rry…"

Ryou sniffled as the man went lax, and his mouth, once more, open just a little as he lost his grip on reality and went into a faint.

"It's okay…" Ryou gave a teary smile, but didn't move, even as the man fell unresponsive. The child blushed, just slightly, as he reached out with his free hand, and moved the spirit's hair out of his eyes. Bakura's hand, in his other one, was cold once again, and Ryou's smile faded at this.

He knew, deep down, he needed to figure out how to get back into the real world, but he didn't want to. He didn't care. All that mattered to him now was the other half of himself, who was empty, weak, and hurt. Nothing else mattered right now, and Ryou's actions reflected this, for he didn't bother to get up, or move in the slightest.

Instead, he merely smiled, and cradled Bakura's hand tighter in his own.

* * *

Chapter 9: End.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Gosh this update took forever; almost two months? Ugh. I'm so disapointed in myself.

Anyway, thanks a ton for the kind reviews! I hope you enjoy the chapter you waited so long for!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

He could feel something… Something rough, coarse; it seemed to scratch him, wearing into the sensitive skin… He felt freezing cold all over, except for a small spot about what he guessed was his side… His eyes felt like they were glued shut, and he saw stars twirling before him as he managed to open them.

Bakura laid there for a long time, staring blankly up at the ceiling of his soul room. It was slightly dark about him, and it seemed…suffocating. Uncomfortable…

Bakura moaned as he lifted himself up slightly in a pathetic attempt to sit upright, but he only managed to go up a few inches before collapsing back upon the mattress. However, the shift of his weight caused something to bump into him, causing him to gasp slightly.

He quickly looked to his side, where he had felt that something touch him. He blinked, confused, as his eyes met sight of a slumbering Ryou. The child was curled up next to him, in the crook of his side, using his naked torso as a pillow, his little hands hooked onto the hem of Bakura's jeans, obviously using it in his sleep to hold himself in place.

Bakura smiled weakly, managing to find the strength to raise his free hand, and gently clasped it atop of Ryou's head, ruffling the boy's hair slightly. In his sleep, Ryou smiled, cuddling closer to the demon, and whispered, "Kura…"

At this, Bakura's smile faded. He felt as if something had just crushed him… But why? Shouldn't he be happy Ryou was so worried about him? Instead, it almost made Bakura depressed. He cared about Ryou, and he knew Ryou wanted to look out for him in return, and they didn't want to let each other go. But that was the problem.

Bakura knew he only had a certain amount of time before he and Ryou were pried apart… The issue was he didn't know _when _that time would come. And he didn't want that to happen… He knew Ryou would surely shatter under the pressure, and besides that, he would just go back to being alone in the world, saddened and forgotten… His gaze again fell to Ryou, who slept quietly; a little angel curled up beside him.

_I still don't get it… _Bakura ran his unoccupied hand through his messy bangs. He made a face of disgust as he brought back his hand, noticing the blood smeared upon his fingers. _Why do I care so much about Ryou? He's just a little human boy who obviously doesn't fit in… And I don't think I've gotten this attached to _anything _before…_

Bakura sighed, casting his gaze back onto the child beside him. He noticed the little stains of blood on the boy, and the tear tracks that still remained. How long had the kid been watching over him until he fell asleep? The thoughts swarmed almost angrily throughout Bakura's head, and the demon scowled, struggling to figure out _why _he wanted to protect Ryou so badly. Then, it hit him.

_He's just like me._ _I used to be in the same position as this kid… I was rarely wanted and I didn't fit into the puzzle…_ Bakura bit his lip, his slowly growing canines pricking his skin. _Is the reason I care so much is to prevent him from becoming similar to what I've grown into?_

"Hmm… Kura?" Bakura jumped, just slightly, at the innocent, sleepy voice. He glanced down to see Ryou lifting his head up, his chocolate eyes dull with tiredness, a dozed smile on his face. "You're awake…?"

"…Yeah." Bakura forced himself to smile, just slightly. "How long have you been here watching over me?"

The little boy looked thoughtful for a long time, a finger to his lips, before answering in that sleepy voice, "Um, three days…?"

_Three days? _Bakura swallowed uncomfortably. "You've been sitting in here for three days straight?"

"No, silly," Ryou's smile widened, and he tilted his head to one side, his silvery bangs falling into his eyes. "I'd come every couple hours to make sure you were okay, but I never stayed for hours at a time unless it was nighttime… Except on the first day…" Ryou's voice grew quiet suddenly.

"Ryou… I don't understand. Why did you stop after the first day? Did something happen?" Bakura asked.

"I… I think I was here for a couple hours… I-I had gone to the bathroom before I managed to find my way in here, but…" Ryou rubbed nervously at his arm. "W-When I woke up I was in the nurse's office… She said I fainted and some people had to help me down there… B-But I didn't faint… I was here the whole time…"

"Ryou… You do know that when both of us come into the same soul room, no one has control of the body. It just becomes an empty shell until someone returns to inhabit it…" Bakura scowled. "And how did you even return here so many times? You never learned how to do that-"

"No, I did learn!" Ryou protested. "I-I was in the bathroom, and I kept trying to talk to you, trying to tell you I was sorry and I wanted to see you again… And then this little gold ball showed up, in front of my chest… And when I touched it, I guess I passed out for a second or two, and I woke up in my room… I…saw your door was open, and I was worried…" Ryou blushed a very faint shade of pink at this comment, knowing he had easily invaded Bakura's privacy by entering his room without permission.

Bakura frowned. He was honestly confused by Ryou's story; after all, majority of it made no sense. However, it must've been true; how else could've Ryou gotten in here so many times? He sighed.

"…You don't have enough energy to get up and go outside yet, do you?" Ryou asked softly, hands tightly clutching the ridges of Bakura's jeans. His brown eyes showed worry as he said this, along with fear.

"I don't think so, but… I could try to go out, I guess… But there's no guarantee I can make it…" Bakura bit his lip, his hands balling up into fists about the sheets. But after three straight days of sleep and not having the strength, how long _would _it take for him to get it back?

"If you don't think you can, then don't try," Ryou said softly, his small fingers gripping the spirit's pants tighter. "I don't wanna see you get hurt again…"

"Ryou… I'll be okay." Bakura forced himself to smile as he slowly started to sit up. He grit his teeth as he surely but slowly struggled into an upright position. He was breathing heavier, his vision fuzzy. Hunched over on his bed, he began to pant, squeezing his eyes shut as a pain erupted in his temples. He felt small hands touch his naked back, and he jumped at the warmth.

"Kura, please stop." Bakura opened his eyes, glancing down for a brief second to meet Ryou's own gaze. The child looked on the border of tears, obviously terrified that something was going to go wrong. "You're hurting yourself-"

"I'm fine," Bakura responded, although his words were a mere lie. He knew he should listen to Ryou and just lay back down, but he didn't want to do that. He knew Ryou must be lonely and hurting, and he just felt the need to be there for him, to actually _try _to make it back to the real world and help him with his problems, like he was supposed to be doing…

"But Kura-" Ryou started, but Bakura didn't give him a chance.

"Ryou, stop it… I'm doing this for you, not for myself," Bakura muttered, gritting his teeth as he curled his fingers into the sheets. His entire body began to shake violently as he slowly lifted himself up from the mattress. He felt Ryou's small, warm hands settle upon his back again, and he tried to ignore this.

He managed to pick himself up, but as he started to put his weight into his own two feet, everything seemed to tilt to one side, growing an off-gray in an instant. He vaguely felt his hands slip from the bedding and the pain in his head worsened, just slightly. He waited for himself to collapse, but instead he felt the warmth of skin and then the comfort of his bed beneath him.

He opened his eyes as he felt his exhausted body sink into his mattress, his crimson orbs meeting Ryou's own. Little teardrops were making their way down the boy's face, despite the obvious fact Ryou was struggling to hold them in.

"Hey…" Bakura frowned slightly, barely able to see straight, but he could clearly hear Ryou's sniffling. "Ryou, please… Don't cry…"

"I-I'm just worried about you," Ryou choked out, his eyes glistening with the crystal substance. "Y-You just keep getting hurt…"

"…I'm sorry," Bakura murmured, closing his eyes. "It's…mostly my fault… If I had just…told you what was going on…then we wouldn't have…had to travel down this path, Ryou…"

"…What do you mean?" the child asked softly, his brown eyes narrowing a little in confusion. "This wasn't your fault-"

"Yes, it was…" Bakura sighed, his eyes sliding open. "Ryou… The entire reason I'm injured is…because I was hiding things from you… And because of that…it made you upset. It killed you upon the inside…and because we're tied together…the strain upon yourself caused all this damage on me. The stress…it overloaded our connection, and my body… And that's why I got that wound… All the pressure had to be released somehow… And I didn't want you to get hurt, so I forced it all on myself… But since it couldn't get out via our link…it had to come out of my body. The spiritual pressure created that wound, and I was the one who…caused the pressure. I got what I deserved…" Bakura bit his lip, looking away. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you, Ryou. I should've told you what was going on, but… I was too weak… I was scared of how you would act-"

"I thought you would know me better than that," the child interrupted, sounding hurt. "Kura… You can't keep doing this… I know you're hurting inside, and you don't trust yourself, but… But that's no reason you can't trust other people."

"…I was afraid that…you wouldn't understand," Bakura whispered. "I had preferred to keep you questioning and innocent…than to give you knowledge and cause you to be scared…"

"…Kura… What made you this way?" Ryou asked, his chocolate pools narrowing. "You keep beating yourself down and running from me when you think about it… What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?"

Bakura swallowed, keeping his eyes averted. He knew he couldn't sneak out of this one, and he knew that even if he did lie, it would only get worse later. He didn't _want _to tell the boy, but he knew he needed to. Nothing would improve in their relationship, and that would create more strikes against him. If this kept up, he knew it wouldn't be long before he would be again deemed as a failure and torn away from Ryou…

"Kura, tell me. You just said you should've told me sooner…so what is it? What's been bothering you so much it caused you to hide and no longer go to sleep? You've been crying and hurting yourself… And I don't wanna see you like that anymore! Tell me what's going on!"

His head hurt. Bakura refused to look Ryou in the eyes, keeping his head low. He couldn't bare to stare into those innocent brown eyes he knew he was about to taint with the problems he held deep inside of him.

"Ryou… My father…he was like yours," Bakura started, feeling his body beginning to shake. The scars were opening in his mind, twisted memories coming fresh that he didn't want from the subject they were on. "Except…a lot worse…"

"Your dad…left you alone more than Daddy does to me?" Ryou asked, confused.

"I wish it was that simple, Ryou," Bakura murmured. "He would leave me alone for what seemed like forever… But when he came home… He just…" Bakura shook his head, his voice growing soft. "He just liked to hurt me."

"Hurt…you?" Ryou bit his lip at Bakura's demeanor. The spirit was obviously uncomfortable, his eyes glassy, and he was shaking. "Kura… I don't…understand."

Bakura buried his face in his hands, feeling goose bumps form on his pale skin. His voice was all-too-real in his mind, screaming at him, just like back when he was younger… He was trying not to break down…

"Kura? Are you…okay?" Ryou inched closer to the shaking spirit, who lowered his hands from his face then to look at the child. His crimson eyes were glassy, as if he was reliving something only he could see… "Kura?"

"I'm fine," Bakura mumbled, although it was a lie. He squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to block it all out, but…

Ryou bit his lip, staring down at his other, unsure of what to do. Bakura suddenly gave a dry laugh, his eyes foggy. "I was nothing to him because I didn't want to be like him. And then he started to hit me… To hurt me however he could, just… Just in a desperate hope I'd snap out of it… When I refused, it… It just went on…"

Ryou wasn't sure of how to respond to this. Bakura chuckled hollowly, not meeting Ryou's gaze. "You have no idea how hard I tried to please him otherwise. I wanted to have my own life, and yet, I wanted him to be proud of me… I tried to be flawless in every other way possible… I wasted years and years of my life trying to be perfect for him, but nothing I did satisfied him. Nothing was worth it…

"And then they killed him right outside my house. And then to protect me, mother lost her life… And even after this and I had no one… I was still hated, because they all knew who I was, and my bloodline pinned me to the ground… No one wanted me, no one wanted to listen, no one cared…"

"Kura… I don't understand… You said they were gone when you were little… So why do you still let it get to you?"

Bakura swallowed, knowing this was a smart question. He didn't know why; he just couldn't let it go. Every time something reminded him of the past he felt the scars tear open fresh, memories he wished he didn't have flowing through him, accompanied by those emotions that made him sometimes wish he didn't exist…

"I don't wanna hurt you, but… That was a long time ago, Kura. You need to get over it and move on… He's not gonna hurt you anymore, and you aren't alone anymore…" Ryou smiled a little, his hand resting atop Bakura's, protectively. "And I'm sorry about it all, but… Maybe if you tried to move on, you'd start to get better… A-And I know it's hard to get over some things… I…still remember Mum, and Amane, and Daddy… And it hurts to remember it, but… I've been trying really hard to not feel so bad about it anymore… Mum…wouldn't want me sad, and I don't think your mom would want you to be upset either…"

Why did the kid have to have such a twisted view of everything? Even with the pain he had been dealt at an early age, the boy had continuously told himself it was going to get better and that he could do better. Why couldn't he have the kid's attitude? Why did the boy have to be optimistic, always smiling, always happy? Then again, he guessed Ryou was right… Even with the pain and the scars, it was over with… Maybe he _would _benefit if he tried to leave his memories in the dust… That, however, was going to be easier said than done. The man sighed, forcing himself to smile. "…Thanks, Ryou."

The child beamed widely, looking suddenly more cheerful than previously. He lay down again, cuddling against Bakura, staring up at the man with his innocent eyes. "I'm just glad you're okay, Kura."

"…I am too." Bakura held back a grimace from the pain as he gripped Ryou about the shoulders with one arm. Ryou giggled, shyly burying his face into Bakura's rather large ribcage.

It was quiet for a while after that. They just laid there together, staring at the ceiling, but the moment was enough to satisfy the two of them. Suddenly, Ryou lifted his head to look up at Bakura, noticing the man was merely asleep. Wanting to ask before he forgot, the little boy asked softly, "Kura?"

"…What is it?" Bakura asked, eyes half-lidded, his tone filled with exhaustion.

"I wanted to ask you a couple things real quick…" Ryou said softly, nervous, "When is…your master coming back again?"

Bakura stiffened, his jaw set. "I don't know. Why?"

"…I just was wondering." Ryou looked down, cuddling closer against Bakura. "Kura, I don't…like him very much… He kept saying bad things about you and calling you names… None of it was true…"

"…He doesn't like me very much, Ryou. He never has…" Bakura sighed. "He's always been like that, though. Don't mind him…"

"How come he gets to be your master and the ruler? How come you aren't the ruler?" Ryou pouted. "You'd be a lot better than he is at it…"

"Ryou… He's ruler for a lot of reasons. He's been in the realm a lot longer than I have… That means he has truckloads more experience than me, more points totaled from his work, more supporters-"

"I'm confused," Ryou interrupted, staring up into Bakura's eyes with his own large mocha ones. "What do you mean experience? And points? I don't get it…"

Bakura sighed, combing his fingers through Ryou's snowy hair. "Well… When you first get to the realm, you are given an assignment, remember? If you can complete that mission, you're basically at rank zero. After that, you have multiple options… You can get a real job, or keep chipping away at assignments. Gradually, for the more work you do, you gain points. The more points you earn, the higher your rank gets on the scale, understand?"

"What's so important about the points anyway? And why do you guys even have ranks in the first place, Kura?"

"If you want anything in that realm, you need the points and the rank. The higher your rank gets, Ryou, you can get into the classier and more advanced sections of the realm. I'm aiming to get into the middle section, which is known as the richest and greatest part of the realm there is. The jobs there are amazing, along with the housing, the people… Everything is just perfect…"

"But… Nothing is perfect, Kura…"

"It makes me think otherwise. The houses are big and beautiful, there's a great amount of jobs and varying types, big opportunities… But what I love most, Ryou, is the fact people don't judge like they normally do. I went there for a visit, and the people… No one wanted to spit on me, yell at me, look down on me. They treated me as an equal…"

"…You just want to belong, like me… Don't you?"

"Yeah. That's all I've ever wanted, Ryou. You have no idea how much I've wanted it, and I still do… Because ever since I was little no one liked me… And to live your entire life that way… It was suffocating, and just flat out depressing."

"…It made me sad too, for the longest time… And then this one time… Ushio was bullying me… And this guy I'd never seen in my life ran in and got himself beat up in my place. It was Malik-kun, and he said… He said that he wouldn't let me get hurt, because he was gonna be my friend…" Ryou smiled a little. "Sorry for interrupting…"

"No, it's quite all right." Bakura smiled a little. "Anyway, as for the points… Besides making your rank higher, the more points you get, you can earn better and better things, like promotions, earning a better job, and if you get to a certain point, you will get harder assignments, which is a really good thing. The harder the mission is, the more points you'll be rewarded in return if you complete it."

"…That's too complicated," Ryou murmured, resting his forehead on Bakura's muscled torso. "And it sounds really hard…"

"Not really. You get used to it. That's why it's good to have experience… Because then you get the hang of the processes." Bakura smiled slightly.

"Kura… I think you'll get there someday," Ryou said with a smile. "You'll get into the middle section, get a really good job, and then you're gonna become the ruler. I know you will, Kura."

"…Thanks, Ryou." Bakura grinned. There was that positive attitude overflowing from the kid. He didn't want to crush Ryou's hopes by saying he didn't have a chance of making it to the top spot of ruler, so he kept quiet. "You know just what to say, kid."

Ryou beamed, obviously happy with those comments. His smile suddenly faded away, and he looked up at the man again, worried, "Kura… I asked him…how long you had left to stay with me…" Ryou confessed, gripping Bakura's hand in his own. "He said he…didn't know… But I don't want you to go… I want you to stay forever…"

"Ryou… I don't know how long I get to stay with you… But hopefully it's as long as you need." He smiled a little, before he gritted his teeth. Summoning his strength, he forced himself to roll over onto his side, wincing as his spine cracked from the sudden shift. Ryou was level with his chest, staring up at him with those big pools of brown he had. "I don't want to leave you either, but… I can't guarantee I'll be here forever.

Ryou looked down, crestfallen. "So… You're gonna have to leave, no matter what…?"

"I didn't say that; I'm not sure how long I get, Ryou. I may be around forever, or I may have to leave at some point. I don't know."

"But I don't want you to go away… Please, Kura, don't go…" Ryou looked close to tears, obviously scared of losing the spirit. "Please…"

And regardless, the tears fell. Bakura sighed softly, wiping away the crystalline droplets with his thumb from Ryou's small, chubby face. Ryou hiccupped, tearing away, and almost throwing himself against Bakura. He buried his face into the man's bandage-wrapped chest, crying softly.

Bakura bit his lip, and did his best to wrap a comforting arm around the boy. He felt Ryou's breathing become irregular due to his tears, which bothered him a bit. However, due to the closeness, Bakura could almost _feel_ the little boy's heartbeat, pressing gently against his chest too because they were crushed together.

"I want you to stay…" Ryou mumbled, curling up in a ball against the much bigger man. "I don't wanna be alone again-"

"You won't be alone, Ryou. Malik will come back soon and you everything will go back to normal for you two-"

"I don't _want _it to be normal again!" Ryou cried, tears falling from his eyes as he stared at the spirit. "B-Because normal was before I met you, Kura… And it won't _feel_ normal anymore, because you'll be missing!"

"Ryou…" Bakura sighed. "You need to understand. There's nothing I can do if my time runs out. I can't change the rules, unfortunately. If I could stay here forever, I would, I'm sure you've realized that by now. But if I do have to go sooner rather than later, you'll have no choice but to move on. Malik will help you through it-"

"But I don't _want _Malik-kun to help me! I want you!" Ryou was almost sobbing. "Malik-kun never told Daddy anything, he didn't beat Ushio up for me, he wasn't there every time I felt bad… That's all been you! Don't say he'll help me on your same level, because he'll never be the same as you, Kura! I-I love you…"

"…I'm sorry." Bakura wiped away Ryou's tears, and Ryou hiccupped loudly, burying his face into Bakura's chest. "I'm really sorry… I promise I'll do my best while I'm here Ryou…"

Ryou didn't answer, instead cuddling closer to the man he cared for most.

* * *

Chapter 10: End.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Jeez this update took a long time. I'm really sorry. I had a loss of inspiration, and for quite a while I was drowning in schoolwork. Anyway, I think I'm back on my feet for the time being. Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long on this!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Although it took a little while longer, Bakura finally recovered enough to take on his false form again. This made Ryou beyond happy, especially since he was now together again with the spirit in the physical world and could speak to him without being sucked back into his soul room.

"I'm gonna go check the mail," Ryou called to the spirit, who was lounging just above the couch, spread-eagled on his back. At this comment, Bakura sat up in time to see Ryou walk outside, closing the door gently after himself.

Bakura followed, easily passing through the front door of the apartment. He found Ryou carefully heading down the slippery stairs, clinging to the handrail. Bakura zipped down after him, coming to a stop at the boy's right.

It took time, but Ryou made it down the stairs without falling. He hurried across the front yard of the apartment building, going as fast as he could to the mailboxes.

Bakura watched, standing behind the boy, as he fitted the key into the lock, and twisted, successfully opening the box. Ryou blinked, tilting his head to one side as he noticed a rather large package resting atop his stack of white envelopes. "Hmm?"

Gingerly, Ryou extracted the brown parcel from the box, before then taking the mail into his free hand. It wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be, thankfully. Looking down, he read the label aloud so Bakura could hear, "It's from Egypt."

"Your friend's gift, then." Bakura smiled, just slightly.

"I still can't believe he sent me something… He shouldn't have done that," Ryou mumbled, locking up his mailbox before tucking the silver key away in his pants pocket. With the parcel in his arms and the envelopes in his hand, he began to head back inside. "Now I feel bad because I can't send him anything…"

"Ryou, I'm sure he doesn't mind. He's known you for a while, and I'm sure he realized you wouldn't be able to send him anything before he even shipped your gift out. He probably did it just to be nice, not caring if you got him a present in return."

"He's always been like that," Ryou said softly, making his way up the final few stairs. He managed to grip the doorknob and pushed the door open, heading inside. He kicked the door shut with his heel, before making his way across the living room and setting the package, along with other mail, down on the table.

He hurried into the kitchen for a brief moment, coming back with a pair of scissors. Bakura watched, hovering over Ryou's shoulder as the boy carefully slit into the thick tape, before pulling roughly through it, successfully ripping it in half.

Ryou went to rip the flaps of the small box up, but was interrupted by a knock at the front door. He sighed, getting up, and headed towards the main door. "Guess it'll have to wait a little while longer…"

Bakura remained at the table, trying to peek into the box, since he couldn't lift the flaps to look in. He lifted his head as he heard the door open, freezing as he saw who was there. Hurriedly, he flew over to Ryou's side, who was staring at the man as if he was a monster.

"Sir… What are you doing here so soon?" Bakura asked slowly, his crimson eyes meeting his master's amethyst ones. "Is something…wrong?"

"In a twisted way, yes." Yami entered the apartment, closing the door behind himself. Ryou growled a little at this, getting somewhat defensive, especially since he didn't like this man. "We need to talk."

Bakura felt his hands starting to shake a little in nervousness. He glanced briefly at Ryou, who was still at his side. "About Ryou, or…?"

"That's one of the topics," Yami said dryly, hands shoved into the pockets of his black jacket. "But that's where we'll need to start. All other topics are weaved together, with him as the base."

Bakura bit his lip, glancing down at Ryou, who had inched closer to the spirit, obviously scared of what was going to happen next.

"First of all, mind telling me why you remained entirely inactive for almost two weeks? I thought I noticed a strain between the two of you, but then again I could've been wrong."

Bakura swallowed. He knew better than to lie. "Sir, I… I hadn't been thinking, and I guess I caused a rift. I hurt Ryou, but… I did the best I could to fix the problem…"

"You tried to fix it, but you shouldn't have let it happen in the first place. You're lucky you didn't make things even worse than how they started off. If you don't watch yourself it may actually get to that point." Yami sighed. "However, I must confess… Even with all the problems you've been causing, your connection _is _growing stronger, fortunately for you."

"T-Thank you, sir."

"Hn. Just don't get cocky, thinking you can solve everything you cause." Yami leaned back against the now closed door, folding his arms. "However, I'd like to give you a little…_reward _for your progress. Even though you've screwed up plenty of times thus far, you've managed to get out of them, which has impressed me somewhat."

Bakura blinked as the man approached him, coming to a halt just mere inches before his spiritual form. He made a strangled sound that sounded close to a yelp as his master lunged out, a pale hand shackling about his windpipe. His master's eyes were dark and narrowed as he squeezed Bakura's throat, "Don't move."

Ryou eyes widened as a peculiar light formed underneath Yami's hands, before dissolving into Bakura's spiritual body. Suddenly, the pale man doubled over, arms wrapped about himself. He began to pant, although his lungs were unneeded, shaking. Suddenly, he screamed, curling into himself the best he could manage.

Yami released his grip on the spirit, and stepped back. Suddenly, he felt something collide with his thigh, and he glanced down to find Ryou punching at his leg as hard and rapidly as he could, tears glimmering in his angry eyes. "Stop it! Leave him alone, you're hurting him…"

"Of course it hurts. It _has _to hurt, child." Yami said simply, casting his gaze down at Bakura, who screamed again, his crimson eyes squeezed shut. "But he'll be rewarded soon enough."

"It isn't a reward if he's in pain!" Ryou cried, glaring at the man. "You're lying!"

Bakura's scream attracted Ryou's attention, and the boy glanced over, worried. However, he froze at a noise he never heard before: the sound of ripping flesh. It had emitted from Bakura, and the spirit doubled over even further, fresh blood staining his shirt.

Ryou watched, too terrified to pull himself away. Bakura's shirt suddenly tore, holes ripping through the fabric. Suddenly, that splitting sound occurred, and Bakura let out a breathless scream. Two thin objects ripped free from Bakura's backside, sticky with clots of blood. Underneath the layer of the red substance was a gray color so dark it was almost black.

Ryou watched Bakura collapse to his knees, although he still floated just above the flooring. He was breathing heavily, sounding like he was choking as he tried to take in the air he didn't need. The stumps protruding awkwardly from his back twitched, leaking an odd, greenish-colored pus. Three tiny feathers, no bigger than a fingernail, were forming on the base of the stumps, closest to Bakura's back.

"His…wings…?" Ryou said slowly, still in shock.

"Feh. It's only the bases of his wings. The feathers won't grow back until later on, when he gets better at this assignment." Yami gripped the bloody stumps, carelessly tugging out the baby feathers, which caused Bakura to let out a howl of pain. As soon as the feathers were yanked out, more of the pus began to leak out of the stubs, dripping onto Bakura's shirt and some getting on the floor.

"Y… You…" Ryou couldn't take his eyes off Bakura. The spirit was on his hands and knees, shaking violently from the obvious pain he was enduring. The stumps of his wings looked disgusting, and yet, Ryou couldn't look away from them.

"I'm sure he's grateful," Yami mused aloud, staring at Bakura, who was still on all fours. "After all, we did come to a compromise that he'd get his real powers and body back when he began to truly complete his assignment."

"I don't want him in pain," Ryou said softly, tears swimming in his eyes. It hurt to know that Bakura was going through all this just because of him…

"You act as if you're responsible, child. We made this decision long before Bakura chose you as his host. He's going to face the pain whether you like it or not."

Suddenly, Bakura coughed, saliva dripping over his lips and began to run down his chin. The spirit wiped it away with the back of his hand, and started to attempt to stand up. He shook violently, the stubs of his wings crumpling against his backside in the process.

"Oh, suck it up. I'm sure you've felt more pain than this before," Yami growled, frustrated with Bakura's behavior.

"T-True…" Bakura's knees locked, and he nearly collapsed all over again, but instead he pulled himself together, and slowly, but surely, rose to his feet, floating mere inches above the flooring. The meager stumps of wings dangled limp and lifeless against his back, unable to be used. He glanced over at Ryou, who was motionless, the child obviously still in shock. "Ryou…"

"I don't…understand…" Ryou bit his lip, lowering his gaze. "Why did it hurt you so bad?"

"His wings had been disabled and cut to meager nubs prior to this assignment. I used my powers to force them back out and grow back. That means that just now, his wings came back, and while they were inside of him, they grew." Yami glared at Bakura. "He was fighting, so it's his own fault for the agony. If he had gone along like I intended, his wings would've came out and then grown. However, the idiot tried to keep them retracted in for as long as he could. And as he kept them inside of his back, they kept growing until there wasn't any more room and it ripped his skin open to get free."

"I was hoping that they'd stay inside me and you wouldn't have had to see them," Bakura confessed softly, lowering his gaze.

"You're a fool. You and I both know that your body couldn't handle it you growing back your wings so suddenly, and they would've come out anyway. You basically just caused your entire backside to bust to give your wings an escape route! You can never retract your wings as soon as you get them… I'm sure you remember that from when you first got them…"

Ryou blinked, nibbling on his lower lip. "Why are they…leaking?"

"The fluid?" Yami stared at the green liquid still oozing from Bakura's crumpled stumps. "For one, it's a healing agent. Second of all, that's probably a spot where there's muscle growth or damage, or a where a large batch of feathers will eventually grow," Yami explained.

"How long will it take for it to stop oozing?" Ryou asked, inching closer to his darkness. Bakura didn't look at him, for the spirit had lowered his head, arms wrapped about his stomach.

"That is one thing I'm not sure of. We'll have to wait and see how long it takes for his stubs to heal over-" Yami was interrupted by a sudden, loud cough from Bakura. The man turned to his servant, who had his eyes squeezed closed, arms wrapped tightly about his trembling form. The man didn't stop coughing; instead, the series continued, growing heavier and harsher with each new one that passed through him.

Ryou felt tears form in his eyes as Bakura cupped a hand about his lips, coughing so hard he sounded like he was choking. A near hacking sound escaped from Bakura's lips, before the man pulled his hand away. Ryou froze as he noticed Bakura's hand; it was covered in a thick layer of blood. Bakura, too, was motionless, not noticing the blood that dripped over his lower lip and onto his shirt.

"K-Kura…" His eyes stung with tears, and his heart ached with fear and concern. Why couldn't his other ever get through a day without feeling some kind of pain?

Bakura opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by another coughing fit. He doubled over, away from Ryou, his eyes closed as he coughed harder and harder. A sickening splattering noise occurred as a shockingly large glob of blood overflowed from Bakura's lips and fell to the ground.

Bakura moaned, feeling sick. His mouth had that strong copper taste, and his throat ached from his heaving and coughs. He slowly raised his head, panting despite the fact he didn't need to breathe. He glanced up at Ryou, who looked as if he was going to cry at any second. "R… Ryou…"

The child was struggling to bite back tears. It hurt so much to see Bakura like this. The boy bit his lip harshly as Bakura doubled over again, heaving slightly. A thin stream of blood dribbled down his chin, which he hastily wiped away. His crimson eyes looked tired as he wobbled, looking like he was going to faint. Hesitant, Ryou spoke up softly, "W-Why…are you bleeding…?"

Bakura didn't respond. Ryou went to take a step forward, but stopped as a hand clasped about his shoulder. He abruptly looked up, surprised to find Yami standing behind him, his pale fingers digging into Ryou's skin. "…He probably has some internal damage."

"W…What do you mean?" Ryou asked softly, his voice trembling. He blinked as Yami released him, and took a few small steps towards Bakura. The snowy-haired spirit lifted his head slowly, shaking violently. He had his arms wrapped tightly about his stomach, crimson stains of blood staining his pale lips.

Bakura's eyes widened as Yami lunged, grabbing him about the throat in a crushing grip. Instantly, Bakura's hands flew skyward and shackled about Yami's own, desperately trying to pry his hands away. Yami merely ignored this, and suddenly lifted Bakura higher off the ground, keeping his hands about the spirit's neck. Ryou, standing mere feet away, let out a cry as he watched Yami shove his darkness into the wall behind them with as much force as he possibly could. A howl of sheer agony tore from Bakura's lips as the bloodied stumps of his wings were crushed behind him, crumpling and twisting as more fluid oozed free.

"Stop fighting me," Yami commanded, his nails digging harshly into Bakura's flesh. Bakura choked at this, before letting out a weak cough, a small amount of blood dribbling over his lips. Yami released Bakura's throat, the spirit instantly collapsing against the wall and as close to the floor as his form allowed. Yami suddenly gripped Bakura around the back of the neck with one hand, his other going to the base of Bakura's ruined wings.

"Since he kept his wings retracted for so long they probably scratched one of his innards when they grew," Yami said quietly to Ryou before raising his fingers to his lips, before licking a few of the digits. Then, he almost carelessly dipped his fingers into the bizarre green fluid dripping from Bakura's wings, letting them get soaked to the knuckles. He stooped slightly, pressing his knee into Bakura's belly, holding him in place. Bakura cringed at this, but he didn't fight. Then, with one hand, Yami gripped one of Bakura's ruined bases, and allowed the ooze-coated fingers to dig into Bakura's shredded flesh.

A screech tore from Bakura's lips, and the spirit jerked violently, struggling to free himself. Yami merely pushed his kneecap further into Bakura's gut, holding him with ease in place. His fingers dug into the flesh about the bloodied stumps, Yami carelessly inserting them into Bakura's backside, ignoring Bakura's howls of pain.

"Stop it!" Ryou sprinted over, tears glittering in his eyes. It hurt just too much to see Bakura like this. "I want you to stop hurting him! Just leave him alone!"

"It's for his own good. By adding the healing agent to the section of his back where the wings are protruding should allow the skin to heal quicker and less painfully." Yami scowled down at his servant, now struggling to hold the squirming Bakura in place. "If he's lucky, the liquid may drip far enough into his body to heal whatever organ was damaged during the rebirth of his wings."

Yami ripped his clawed fingers out of Bakura's back; they were stained in blood. Bakura's hair fell into his eyes, which suddenly rolled back into his skull as he collapsed. He fell to the floor on his front, hovering mere millimeters above the ground. His eyes had fallen shut, although his mouth hung open slightly, little drops of blood collecting on his lips.

Yami sighed, raising his fingers to his lips and began to lick them clean of Bakura's blood. He blinked, glancing down as he felt something tug on his pant leg. Ryou stood beside him, his small fingers hooked into the legging of the demon king's pants. The boy's eyes were angry, his grip tight and almost threatening. "What do you want, child?"

"I want you to leave Kura alone," Ryou said frostily, his eyes narrowed. His fingers dug deeper into Yami's jeans. "All you're doing is causing him more pain."

"It's none of your business what I cast upon him," Yami growled, his amethyst eyes suddenly growing dark in anger. "You are nothing but a human child. The lifestyles and procedures performed by us demons are too alien to your mind, so quit acting like you understand, because you don't."

"I don't _have _to understand!" Ryou screamed suddenly, a flame of rage burning in his once innocent eyes as he suddenly struck Yami in the thigh. "Just stop hurting him and go away!"

"You shut your mouth!" Ryou let out a shriek as Yami's clawed fingers suddenly twisted into his hair, before the pale demon literally pulled him off by a handful of his snowy locks. Ryou let out a sob of pain, desperately trying to free himself from Yami's grasp. His eyes were wide as Yami lowered his face to his level, his eyes angry. The set of razor-sharp claws residing on the tips of his fingers were suddenly pressed to the creamy flesh of Ryou's neck. "A demon has no morals. If I happen to cut you to ribbons… There will be no such thing as remorse."

"S-Stop…" A weak cough sounded from behind the demon, and both males turned to find Bakura wobbling on his hands and knees, hacking into his hand. He lowered it seconds later, a thin layer of blood coating his fingertips. "S-Sir… L-Leave Ryou…out of this…"

"I don't believe you're in any position to be making demands, Bakura," Yami snarled, his pupils beginning to contract.

"T-This isn't…for control." Bakura shook his head gently. "J-Just…leave Ryou alone. He hasn't…done anything…to deserve that kind of treatment…" Panting, Bakura slowly sat up, shaking violently. "H-He's…just a kid…"

Glaring down at the human boy, Yami growled lowly, pushing Ryou away. The child sniffled, nursing at his roughly pulled locks of snowy hair as he stumbled back a few paces, away from the demon.

"…I think it's time I take my leave," Yami said icily, practically glaring down at Ryou, who stared uneasily back. Yami cast his gaze onto Bakura, who was trembling violently as he struggled to stand up on his own. "We can discuss my terms at a later date, Bakura. I suggest you prepare yourself."

"Y-Yes sir," Bakura wheezed, wiping at his lips with the back of a sweaty hand. He watched Yami drift towards the front door, taking the knob into his hands. He took a brief second to open it before marching outside, almost slamming the door shut behind himself as he stormed out in an obvious fit of rage.

With stillness now restored in the household, the two light-skinned boys looked at each other. Ryou sighed, running his chubby fingers through his messy bangs, before walking over to his darkness. He crouched down to Bakura's level, a small smile on his still shaken face. "Thanks, Kura."

"F-For what?" Bakura choked out, finally managing to sit up on his own, although he was still shaking violently.

"You protected me…again." Ryou's smile was wobbly, as if he was going to cry. "Thank you…so much."

Bakura blinked as Ryou suddenly sat down beside him, knees hugged to his chest, arms wrapped round them. Ryou stared down at his feet, strangely quiet. Pondering what to say, Bakura idly licked his blood from one of his fingers, the craving too much for him to reject. He paused, however, when Ryou suddenly lowered his head, burying it into the groove of his kneecaps. As he did this, his little shoulders began to tremble, signaling the boy was close to tears. "Ryou? What's wrong?"

"E-Everything," Ryou choked out as he raised his head, cupping a hand about his cheek whilst struggling not to cry. "I-I hate this…"

"Ryou, what are you talking about?" Bakura asked gently, his normally cold eyes going soft.

"I'm so _weak, _Kura! I let him do all those things!" Ryou was yelling now, tears glistening in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "I don't even have the guts to stick up for myself! What is _wrong _with me?!"

"…There isn't anything wrong with you," Bakura murmured, shaking his head gently. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for now, but Ryou needed him. "Ryou, there was nothing you could've done to stop him. He's far stronger than you, and I'm practically powerless against him."

"I let him hurt you. You stick up for me all the time, and the once time I can possibly help you… I totally blew it," Ryou said with a sniff, lowering his gaze to his toes.

"Ryou, please. I hate seeing you like this. Just…" He buried his fingers into his messy bangs, sighing loudly. A weak cough escaped his lips due to this, however; a few stray drops of blood dripped over his lips.

Ryou looked over at his darkness, his large eyes glittering with tears. He inched a bit closer until he was mere millimeters away from Bakura. The spirit frowned, confused for a brief moment. Suddenly, Ryou reached out, and with trembling fingers, placed them over his hand. What was strange was that instead of the boy's digits passing through him, like usual, they sat upon his own skin as if _he _was human too.

Bakura pulled his hand away, by instinct. He stared at Ryou, truly confused of how that just happened. "Ryou…?"

Ryou looked away, nibbling gently on his lower lip for a long moment, before saying in a voice just loud enough for Bakura to hear, "I think it's because… I just…"

Bakura opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as Ryou stood up suddenly. The child didn't look at the spirit, instead keeping his gaze locked onto the floorboards beneath his feet.

Bakura crawled a bit closer, reaching out, and grabbing Ryou by the arm. The child jumped at this, looking up instantly. Tears glistened in his eyes as they met Bakura's own, and Ryou desperately squeezed his orbs closed. He jerked his arm free of Bakura's grip, lowering his head as he took a few paces backwards.

"I just…" Ryou's little hands curled into fists. "I just wanna be strong, like you."

_This again, huh? _Bakura sighed softly, forcing a bit of a smile. He reached out, taking Ryou's little hands into his own. His large but bony fingers engulfed Ryou's own, Ryou's skin warm against his own. "Ryou. Listen to me. You're not weak, or anywhere close. Stop putting those thoughts into your head." He squeezed his host's hands tighter. "It wouldn't matter if you were, anyway. You're fine just the way you are."

Ryou stood there a brief moment, before cracking the smallest of smiles. He released Bakura's hands, barely hesitating in throwing his arms about the demon's neck. He hugged the man tightly, his forehead against the crook of his shoulder. Bakura's snowy hair was in his face, but he didn't care. "Thank you…so much."

Bakura blinked as Ryou pulled away. The child glanced at him for a brief moment, a smile on his lips, before leaning in quickly, and placing a feather light kiss on the man's forehead. After only a few seconds, Ryou pulled away, shyly glancing down at his feet.

Bakura smiled, just a little. Ryou's face had blossomed a bright, pretty shade of pink, obviously a bit embarrassed of what he had just done. Bakura's grinned widened at this. "I love you too."

Ryou smiled slightly, blinking as Bakura suddenly began to stand. His knees wobbled dangerously underneath him, but he managed to stand up. Ryou squeaked as Bakura gripped him by the shirt and snatched him off the floor. Ryou practically clung to Bakura, not daring himself to look down. Heights always made him nervous. "K-Kura… Y-You're hurt…"

"I'm fine… Just a little shaken," Bakura murmured, staggering down the corridor, in the direction of Ryou's room. "That's not going to stop me from getting you to bed."

"B-But I'm not sleepy," Ryou protested, his chubby fingers clutching at Bakura's neck. His snowy hair was soft against Ryou's skin.

"Your body isn't strong enough to handle what just happened, Ryou. You may not feel it right this second, but since I went through all this… You're going to be feeling it too." Bakura had finally made it into Ryou's room. He drifted over to Ryou's bed, and set the child down upon the squishy mattress. "Just take a nap for a little while."

Ryou pouted, but obeyed. He flopped down on his back, yanking the covers up and over his little body. He glanced over at Bakura, who still floated beside him. "Kura?"

"What is it, Ryou?" Bakura asked, glancing down at the child.

"I don't…want Yami to come back…" Ryou clutched at his pillow, a shiver rippling through him. "I don't like him…"

"Neither do I, but… There's nothing I can do about it, Ryou." Bakura ruffled the boy's hair, before he drifted towards the doorway. "Just rest for now."

"Kura, wait." Ryou sat up, staring at Bakura from across the bedroom. "He said…a while back… He said my eyes reminded him of you. He said something about…your old self…" Ryou clutched at his colorful blankets. "What did he mean?"

_My old self… _Bakura felt a shiver scale up his spine. He shook his head. "Remind me later. It's definitely not a story I can tell you before bed."

"…Okay. 'Night, Kura."

"Good night, Ryou."

* * *

Chapter 11: End.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Blah. Late update for this, again. For some reason I promise an update and then writer's block slaps me in the face... Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura groaned as he was pulled out of a previously heavy slumber. He blinked, confused, as he realized he had materialized in Ryou's room, in the corner nearest to the door. Afternoon sunlight was leaking from the window, spilling over his face. Bakura squinted at this, and made a move to stand up.

A breathless cry of pain escaped his lips as a near fire of agony erupted in his backside. The stumps of his wings began to throb all over again, along with the skin surrounding them. The flesh right about the wings easily cracked back open from his movements; fresh pus oozed down his back.

Bakura hissed in pain, trying to keep his spine as motionless as possible. He squinted through the sunlight as he tried to steal a glance at Ryou's alarm clock. He scowled as the red numbers read twelve-thirty.

Seeing that Ryou wasn't in bed, Bakura drifted out of the bedroom, floating out into the hall. He paused in the middle of the corridor as the sound of running water suddenly stopped. He scowled as he heard a small, almost mewl emit from the room where he had just heard the water stop. He glided towards the door, pausing for a brief moment before slipping through the structure and into the room.

Instantly, as he passed through the door, Bakura was hit by a wave of humidity. From his place in the corner, Bakura could see Ryou, who was standing across the bathroom before the counter, staring into the mirror hung above it. The child was wrapped in nothing but a towel, which was tied about the crook of his little hips. The boy was pulling a brush through his damp hair at the moment, oblivious of Bakura's presence.

Bakura's mouth fell open, however, at the sight. Due to Ryou brushing his hair, Bakura could easily see his backside. Disgusting purple and black bruises were stretched over his ivory skin, around the area of where the stumps of Bakura's wings resided. Bakura swallowed, realizing his strain had also affected Ryou.

Ryou flinched, obviously able to sense something was wrong. He turned to face the doorway, jumping a good few inches when he noticed Bakura standing, silent, in the corner. "H-How long have you been standing there?" the little boy squeaked. His face blossomed into a deep shade of pink as he tried to raise the towel in an attempt to cover more of his small body.

"…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." Even now, Bakura couldn't look away from Ryou's backside. Those ugly bruises had entirely engulfed about the same area his own wings were growing in, and he could've sworn he saw smaller bruises on the boy's stomach and hips… "I haven't…been here long."

Ryou's blush deepened as he turned, hurrying out of the room, towel wrapped tight about his small body. Bakura sighed softly, knowing he had probably greatly embarrassed the kid by walking in on him, but…

_I was worried. _Bakura licked his lips nervously, stealing a glance out into the hall, seeing Ryou's bedroom door closed. _I just…_

Bakura shook his head, drifting out of the bedroom and into the hall. He made his way into the living room, noticing the curtains were open. Bakura slowly drifted over to the windows, stealing a glance through them. White layers of snow enveloped nearly everything in sight, icicles hanging from gutters and the edges of rooftops…

Bakura bowed his head, memories pushing to the surface of his brain. He slumped forward a bit, the mere stumps of wings falling against his spine. He closed his eyes, reliving those moments in his mind's eye.

_What if Ryou had just left me there? _Bakura's eyes slid open slightly, his gaze cast downward, glancing through the window. He suddenly felt cold, vaguely remembering the snow piling up on him. _I wouldn't have anything at all._

Those memories suddenly made him sick with hate as well. He clenched his hands, remembering how disgusting he was when he met Ryou. _I was only using the kid at first. I didn't care about that promise I made. _He groaned, pulling his fingers through his bangs. _No wonder Yami said all those things about me to the kid…_

Bakura cried out softly, the pain returning twice as violent in his back. He straightened slightly, a sharp breath slicing in between his teeth. He chuckled a bit to himself, one hand massaging at his throbbing muscles. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as when he received his wings the first time…

Bakura jumped as a finger suddenly traced over his spinal cord, creating a bizarre tingling in the vertebrae. He whipped around, healing stumps of wings lifelessly following his movements. He found himself staring into Ryou's face. The little boy blinked up at him, dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and red sweatpants. His still damp hair fell about his face; a beautiful silver halo.

"…I'm sorry about walking in on you like that. I was just worried…" Bakura turned away again, staring once more out of the window.

"It wasn't the fact you walked in on me," Ryou frowned, padding over to Bakura's side. "I mean, I didn't like it, but… The look on your face… You looked so sad…"

Ryou reached up, gently grabbing Bakura's hand. Bakura didn't even blink, gaze unmoving from the window. Ryou sighed mutely, tugging slightly on his hand a bit. "Kura, please… What's wrong? You look upset…"

"…I was thinking about some things. That's all." Bakura shrugged weakly.

"Is it…about my back?" Ryou frowned, releasing Bakura's hand suddenly. "Kura, you… You didn't do anything-"

"I just hate seeing you in any kind of trouble, kid." Bakura finally tore his eyes from the window, looking down at the little boy. "I should be keeping you safe, not getting you into things that you shouldn't be involved in."

"You make me sound like a baby." Ryou frowned, crossing his arms. "Kura, I can take care of myself just fine. I'm old enough to do that-"

"You're just accustomed fending for yourself. No typical seven-year-old boy spends his days alone." Bakura sighed. "Then again… You're not a normal kid anymore…"

"I'd rather be weird than not to have met you," Ryou said suddenly. Bakura blinked, glancing down at him. Ryou smiled, just slightly. "Everything that's happened so far… There's nothing I would change. Kura… Even if you don't think so… You've made me so happy…"

Bakura's lips twitched into a small smile. He bent down, scooping the child up into his arms. Ryou squeaked, clinging to the spirit. The demon cradled his host like a kitten, careful to hold him safely but gently. Ryou allowed himself to lean forward in Bakura's arms, pressing one hand to the glass window. He smiled slightly at the prints that remained upon the glass once he pulled his hand away, due to his warmth. Ryou sighed, letting his back rest against Bakura's muscled chest.

Bakura allowed himself to rest his chin atop Ryou's head, doing his best not to put all his weight upon the boy. Ryou smiled slightly at this. The boy turned his attention back onto the window, watching the lightly falling snow with large, bright eyes.

"…I don't wanna go back to school tomorrow," Ryou said suddenly, cuddling closer to his darkness. "I'd rather stay home with you…"

"You know I'll be there with you," Bakura said softly, smiling into Ryou's beautiful silver hair. "I'm always with you, Ryou."

Bakura turned his attention to the falling snow, floating just above the floorboards, motionless. Ryou did the same, and asked softly, "Do you like the snow too, Kura?"

"…Yeah. Where I was from…it didn't snow much. Even though it reminds me of things I don't really want to remember… I can't help to love it. It's beautiful."

Ryou smiled, glancing up at the man for a brief moment. "Is the reason…we can touch now…is because of how long we've been together?"

"I think so." Bakura tightened his hold on the little boy. "If Yami gave me back the bases of my wings, I must've somehow succeeded with my assignment, which is to make your life a better, happier one. Apparently I've made you happy enough that allows our spirits to finally be intact."

Ryou beamed, resting his forehead against Bakura's collarbone. He cuddled close to the man, warmth radiating from the demon. He closed his eyes, loosely gripping Bakura by the shirt collar as he smiled to himself. He wished moments like these would never end.

* * *

"You never told me what Yami meant," Ryou said, trudging through the snow. He was tightly gripping his bag, walking oddly as he struggled through depths of white about him.

Bakura blinked, stopping in his tracks. He was floating a few feet ahead of Ryou, just above the snowy ground. His head whipped around, "What do you mean?"

"He said I reminded him of your past self, remember?" Ryou cried, stumbling a few paces, nearly falling. "What did he mean?"

Bakura bit his lip before he exhaled deeply, although his lungs weren't necessary. A large billow of air appeared in the cold before him as he allowed his eyes to slide shut. "Yami and I… We've both noticed it, Ryou. We've realized how…_similar _you and I truly are…"

"But what does that have to do with your past self?" Ryou pondered, truly confused. "And what did he mean your past self? Did he mean when you were little?"

"Well… Not just that. Sure, when I was little, I lost a lot, just like you. I used to be so happy, so carefree… Yet… On the inside… I was hurting, but no one really understood that." Bakura sighed, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "And like how you have Malik… I had Marik. We both lost those who were important to us… And you and I both want something more in life."

Ryou was silent for a long time, practically waddling through the snow before he murmured, "How did he see that through my eyes?"

"…My mom always said I had the clearest eyes in the world," Bakura muttered, folding his long legs underneath him as he floated in the air. "When I was a kid, I had the biggest, brightest eyes. And yet, behind them, I was sick of everything. When all of my problems finally came crashing down… They lost that shiny appearance. Yami told me, when I first arrived in the other realm… That I lost the glow because of my internal misery," Bakura said with an elongated sigh. "That's probably how he saw me inside of your own eyes…"

Ryou blinked, able to almost _sense _the sudden sad aura emitting from his darkness. Bakura cocked his head skyward, stands of silver hair being blown by the wind. "You may want to hurry so you won't be late."

Ryou blinked as Bakura drifted on ahead of him. Bakura floated in between buildings and ducked underneath stoplights and above fences, all the while his thin clothing and colorless hair fluttering in the wind. At that moment, watching Bakura fly, Ryou wondered just how chained his darkness must have felt, always having to be next to him. Struggling to shake away these thoughts, Ryou hurried through the snow, trying his hardest to catch up.

* * *

Bakura was silent, floating, unseen, next to Ryou. The boy was in the middle of a test, so busy working he didn't even notice Bakura peeping over his shoulder. Bakura scowled; so many numbers…

He took a look about at the little classroom before lying down on his back in the air. He was invisible to everyone but Ryou, so he didn't have to worry about it. He sighed. He could see why Ryou didn't want to come here; it seemed so boring.

Needing some fresh air, Bakura lifted his arms, taking off slowly and slipping, unnoticed, through the ceiling. He made his way through the jumble of lighting and power cords and zipped entirely out of the school building, straight through the roof. He found himself at the very top of the school, hovering just above the railing of the rooftop.

Bakura tucked his hands into his pockets, staring out into the snowy world about him. A bone-chilling wind rustled his thick strands of silver hair, blowing it behind him. Bakura didn't even blink, eyes growing foggy as he stared out at the world around him. His lips twitched in the smallest whisper, "There's something missing…"

Indeed, Bakura suddenly had the feeling like he was empty, as if he was forgetting something. But why? He wasn't upset about anything, and he and Ryou were on perfect standards…

Bakura spread his arms wide, allowing the wind to crash at him full force. His still healing stumps of wings, caked in dried puss, twitched in the wind. He felt a rush of cold wash over him, filling his crushed, dead lungs with a chill. He forced himself to breathe; an alien feeling washed over him, the unneeded breath billowing before him in the cold.

_I do miss the old world. _Bakura thought, rubbing his hands together in an attempt at staying warm. _It's almost as if this human world is suffocating me. Is that why I…feel like this? So…bizarre?_

It was silent around him, for a long moment. Bakura was so wrapped up in his inner thoughts he didn't notice the set of eyes watching him.

A shiver suddenly scaled Bakura's spine. The male stiffened, feeling like he was being watched. He spun on his heel, just in time to stare down the barrel of a gun before the weapon went off.

Bakura howled in pain, grabbing at his arm. The bullet had gone straight through the limb, and had pierced into his wing. A disgusting spew of green ooze spurted from the hole in the bases of the wings in an instant.

A slew of curses escaped Bakura's lips as he desperately rubbed at his burning arm, glaring into the person's face, but froze. To his shock, Yami was before him, toting the gun in his right hand, allowing the barrel to rest upon his shoulder.

"What was that for?!" Bakura screeched, blood oozing between his fingers. Yami merely grinned at him, drifting closer to the pale demon.

"It was a test," Yami said, his voice strangely calm. Bakura blinked when Yami grabbed his arm, yanking towards him. Licking his thumb, Yami scrubbed at Bakura's little wound with his saliva. In a few moments the broken blood vessels and muscle rejoined, pulling itself back together, and the wound sealed. "I must say, you really need to improve your reflexes. You didn't even notice me."

Bakura flexed his arm, trying to ignore the thumping in the base of his wing. "A test of what?" he questioned, ignoring Yami's other statement. "Why are you here?"

"For exactly that reason; to test you." Yami's amethyst eyes shrunk slightly as he stared down at the snowy world. Bakura followed his master's gaze, although he was unsure of what Yami was actually staring at. "Bakura… It's a test to see whether or not you are truly fit for this assignment."

Bakura froze, gaze locking onto his superior. Yami looked far too calm, one hand in his pocket, the other supporting the large gun that rested on his shoulder. "W-What?" Bakura stuttered, unsure of what the man had just said. "B-But you said you would allow me to work here longer-"

"Regulations require me to do otherwise," Yami muttered, long fingers tightening upon the gun. "After all, where would we be without rules?"

Bakura bristled at this, "You never told me there would be risks like this. What, are these 'regulations' just some last minute adjustment you made to screw me over?"

"Watch your mouth," Yami snapped, pupils contracting slightly. "Besides, why would I bother to discuss terms such as that with you? You barely even found a vessel in time; I highly doubted you would even make it this far."

"Tch. Of course." Bakura folded his arms across his chest, a scowl settling across his features. "You've never had any type of trust in me-"

"Why would I? You are a brand new transfer; you have yet to prove your worth to me." Yami shifted his weight; he floated just like Bakura, however. "Now get moving. We have lots of work to get done."

Bakura gazed down to the little school beneath his sneakers, feeling a little pang in his chest. "But Ryou…"

"He'll be fine. This is far more important at the moment, because if you don't pass this… There's a very strong possibility you will be taken from this world and be given a different job." Yami slung the gun over his shoulder, for it was hooked with a strap. The large weapon dangled there, loosely. "Come on."

Bakura swallowed, forcing himself to drift away from the school. Yami began to fly away, and Bakura was forced to follow him. He gazed down at the little building one last time… _I promise, Ryou, I'll make sure to win this, just for you._

* * *

"All right," Yami said suddenly, landing onto the rocky ground below. Bakura followed, one stump of a wing flopping aimlessly behind him, for it was still damaged due to the shooting.

Bakura stood there, stock-still, as Yami tore the gun off his shoulder, allowing it to hit the ground at his side. The demon king stretched suddenly, and Bakura caught sight of something he didn't notice before. Due to his arched back, Bakura easily saw the man's stomach, but… The skin was marked by a tattoo. However, before he got the chance to get a proper look, Yami stopped, causing his jacket to fall once more.

Suddenly, before Bakura even had the chance to blink, Yami lunged at him. The king's hand shackled about Bakura's windpipe, successfully cutting off his air supply. Bakura choked, unsure of what to do. Yami frowned, and screamed, "Show me what you're worth!"

_Then he wants a fight… _Bakura's muscles burned as he kicked the man directly in the stomach, successfully knocking him away. Bruises were already popping out on Bakura's ghastly skin, purple and black. Only seconds later Yami ran at him again, aiming a blow towards Bakura's jaw. The pale demon barely managed to dodge it, but when Yami began to throw punch after punch, he couldn't keep up, and wound up with a blow just above his chin. The force was so strong against the bone Bakura heard a cracking sound, as if his jaw had just been snapped out of the socket.

Before he had a chance to recover, Yami grabbed him by one arm, lifting him off the ground, into the air, before slamming him down upon his back on the ground. Bakura cried out sharply as the stumps of his wings were crushed under him. As Yami came at him once more, Bakura curled up in self-defense, struggling to cover his head as Yami struck him, over and over. The demon king's punches left bruises in an instant, sending bullets of pain through Bakura's body as he was struck.

Yami's pupils contracted, resembling that of a cat's, "Is that the best you can do?! Are you just going to sit there and take it when Ryou is getting his brains smashed out?!" The man's blows picked up speed and strength, practically snapping Bakura's bones as he hit him. "Obviously you aren't anywhere close to strong enough to protect a child!"

Bakura's eyes suddenly flashed. As Yami tried to hit him again, Bakura grabbed the man's fist, his other locking about the demon's other arm. Taking a brief second to leap to his feet, Bakura drove his skull into the man's chest cavity, using all his force to push Yami down. He succeeded with this, but the problem was getting the man to stay down. Yami did anything but hold still; he began to kick Bakura and bite him, gnawing so hard on the younger demon's body he drew blood.

Bakura punched him in the jaw, so hard he was positive he just broke his fingers. He wrestled Yami's arms underneath him, seated upon the man's legs.

Yami paused, looking up at the pale demon for a moment. Bakura was obviously exhausted; he was breathing rapidly, shortly; sweat glistened on his forehead and blood dribbled from his wounds. The bases of his wings oozed fresh pus, which collected into a spot on the back of Bakura's shirt.

"…You need much more exercise," Yami said softly, pupils beginning to dilate. "If that wore you out, then you'll definitely be in for it later. Go ahead and get up."

Bakura obeyed, slowly getting off of the king. Yami dusted himself off, wiping at his mouth, smearing blood across his face. Bakura swallowed at the sight of blood; the scent filled his nostrils just as suddenly, and he tried to resist. After all, it had been weeks since he last tasted it…

"Bakura, pay attention," Yami said suddenly, snapping Bakura out of his musings.

"A-All right," Bakura slurred. His jaw was completely numb and he couldn't feel it moving, resulting in his impaired speech.

"Come with me," Yami murmured, motioning for Bakura to follow. The young demon did so, trailing the king. "On the way I would like you to tell me everything you know about your little human host."

Bakura blinked at this. It definitely wasn't something he was expecting. "Everything?" At Yami's nod, Bakura swallowed. "Well… I know when he was really little, his mom and his sister died in a car accident. His dad is a lowlife who merely lies to him. The kid turns eight soon… His best friend, Malik, just moved away, and apparently, Malik is also a vessel-"

Yami stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder, glaring at the man. "I did not ask for you to describe anyone else but your own host."

"But Sir…" Bakura _needed _to know. Sure, he knew he and Marik died in exactly the same way, but they lived totally different lives prior to meeting each other. Why did Marik have such a similar job as he did? And it made no sense. Marik was never one to show compassion or caring; even when the two were homeless, Marik never showed any real emotion towards Bakura. "Why did Marik receive the same assignment as I did?"

"That is none of your business, Bakura. Stop asking questions that don't pertain to you." Yami's voice was thick with threat, signaling his anger.

"But…" Bakura tried to explain, but he was having a very difficult time. He wished he knew why Malik never told Ryou about the man inside of him, for Malik looked extremely uncomfortable when it happened. Then again, Ryou never spoke of _him _to Malik before, either…

"Look Bakura," Yami started, turning on his heel to stare at the pale demon. "You and Ishtar both are demons. You lived in a demonic realm with others just like you, correct? Neither of you are what you would call 'normal' demons. You both have distinct qualities that make you different from the general selection of our species. However, you both needed to find hosts in a hope that you would finally learn how to be emotional, but in different ways.

"Ishtar never had emotion, I'm sure you realized. That's why I made sure to give him that job. You, however, were given the same assignment as an afterthought. I thought about your cause of death, and realized you were emotionally inept as well, but differently. You were very awkward due to the death of your parents. _That _is why I wanted you to, like Ishtar, find a host to inhabit, and grow to accept them."

Bakura was silent. He stared down at his feet for a moment, and muttered, "Why didn't he tell me?"

"Ishtar didn't know you were on Earth, just like you didn't know he was. Besides, even if you did know of each other's presence, it would be against regulations to speak, now wouldn't it?" Yami growled, beginning to walk again, Bakura trying to keep up. "You need to listen more. Ishtar listens far better than you do."

Bakura hated the way Yami never called Marik by his actual name. It made him feel like the demon was just being labeled…

"I don't see why you even care about him anymore," Yami muttered, quickening his pace. Bakura was struggling to keep up, still exhausted from the fight.

"It was…stupid," Bakura confessed, feeling a tightening occur in his chest. "After all that happened in that realm, it was like, once we died, the friendship went with it-"

"You never told me what it was about," Yami said coolly, hands in his jacket pockets.

"That's none of your business," Bakura snapped, angry suddenly. What right did Yami have to intrude into such a sensitive topic that didn't even involve him?

"I do believe that as your superior I have the right to know," Yami replied, grinning slightly. Large fangs curved over his thin lips.

"…It was…about the death," Bakura said softly, not looking at the demon king. Sure, he didn't _want _to tell Yami, but he knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "We…blamed each other for it. It was almost as if…arguing about it totally ruined us. Now that I think about it… Why did we let something so stupid come between us?"

"I told you already; neither of you think very hard-"

"Look, I don't need your attitude," Bakura cut in with a snarl. "You always have to be so _arrogant _about everything-"

"Really?" Yami spun around to face Bakura, and before the snowy-haired male could blink, the king had shoved his finger into Bakura's chest, pupils contracted once more. "If I'm so conceited why did I allow you spend more time with your little host? To give you back some of your wings? Would you rather me leave you naked and alone in that realm, mute and blind as well why I'm at it?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if you did," Bakura screamed, slapping Yami's hand away. "You already hate me, so why not?!"

Yami sized up, although he was still a good foot or so shorter than Bakura even then. He swung, slapping Bakura across the face with such a force the male's head turned. Bakura raised a hand to his burning cheek, which was swallowed in red, in the shape of a hand. Yami's pupils were shrunken in, barely noticeable in his rage. "You will _not _speak to me that way. Next time I'll cut your _tongue _out, you hear me?!"

Bakura nodded. Yami stormed off, leaving Bakura to follow. The pale demon did so, mute as he rubbed at his throbbing cheekbone. And yet, his eyes were misty.

_I hate it here so much. _Bakura sighed mutely, shoulders slumping. _I wish this would all end already. I'm so tired of all this bull…_

His eyes slid open as Ryou's face suddenly burned into his mind. Bakura scrunched his bangs between his fingers, suddenly angry. _Just me and Ryou… We'd be fine alone._

He never dreamed of being alone. But now, suffocating from those around him, Bakura wanted nothing more than to be alone. However, Ryou did nothing to deserve that… If he could, he would take Ryou with him, away from this place, and to some paradise he wished he could find. But for now, that was beyond impossible.

* * *

Chapter 12: End.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: It's been a while... Thankfully not as long as last time though. XD Thanks for the lovely input everyone and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

They had been walking for what seemed like forever. Bakura sighed mutely, shoving his hands in his pockets. His whole body hurt from the fight, and his back was killing him due to his damaged wings. He just wanted to stop…

Bakura stopped in his tracks, resting his hands on his knees. He was too worn out to go much further. He needed to rest.

Yami noticed quickly Bakura was no longer behind him. The demon king paused, and turned, glaring as he noticed Bakura had stopped. "What are you doing?"

"I…need a break," Bakura said softly, not raising his gaze from his feet. "I don't…"

"You're so _weak _for a demon, Bakura," the king spat, waltzing back over to his subordinate. He stood before him, hands on his hips. "What, are you _tired?"_

"More like in pain," Bakura muttered, keeping his gaze fixated on his sneakers. He cried out softly as Yami suddenly cuffed him on the back of the head. Bakura's head shot up at this, and he quickly grabbed the throbbing area, and hissed, "What was that for?!"

"Suck it up and get moving. I don't care _how _much you're hurting or _how _worn out you are. You're not going to advance if you don't try any harder." Yami seethed, hands again on his bony hips. "Don't be stupid."

"…I'm not going anywhere," Bakura said stubbornly; he couldn't move. His back was screaming in agony, but he knew if he straightened up it would only grow worse. "My back is literally killing me-"

"_I'm _going to kill you if you don't move," Yami snarled, eyes flashing. "Quit being a baby and _get up!"_

Bakura cried out when Yami kicked him in the knee. Unable to maintain his balance due to his stooped position, Bakura almost instantly toppled over, letting out a howl of agony as his throbbing spine crashed against the ground.

Yami crouched down next to the fallen demon, lips pursed into a thin line. Bakura was curled into a ball, eyes squeezed shut. Pus was practically spewing out of his wings, getting literally everywhere as the demon laid there. Bakura was grossly pale, his face sweaty and hands shaking.

Bakura's eyes shot open as something touched him. He found one of Yami's hands against his forehead, clawed fingers pricking his skin. "What…are you doing?"

The demon king didn't answer. His hand merely pressed tighter against Bakura's sweaty forehead, before a peculiar light flowed from his fingertips.

"A-Ah…" Bakura tried to pull away, but the king held him in place with his free hand. Bakura suddenly groaned, making a move that made it seem like he was struggling to arch his back. "S-Stop…"

It _hurt. _Bakura's body felt like it was on fire, every muscle and bone ablaze with agony. And yet, he couldn't fight back…

And then, his feelings of weakness vanished, replaced by that of strength. Bakura twitched, feeling the agony in his back fading to a dull pain. He groaned, shifting slightly in an attempt to get up, but Yami didn't let him.

"Y-Yami, let go of me," Bakura slurred, trying to wiggle away. His chest hurt, feeling like it was going to burst. "Stop…"

And suddenly, the demon king did. He pulled back a hand, letting Bakura go entirely. The pale demon gasped as he tried to sit up, trembling all over in near shock. What had just happened?

He was…hungry. He realized that. It had been the first time he had actually had feelings of hunger since he had joined with Ryou. All of those other times was the mere desire for blood. No… This was the need for _real _food…

"What did you do to me…?" Bakura asked, finding himself shaking. He tried to stand up, trembling violently in the process.

Yami didn't even blink. "Do you feel any different?"

"My chest…is really tight," Bakura murmured as he finally made it to his feet. "And… My back doesn't hurt anymore… But I'm… I think I'm hungry…"

"Then it worked just fine," Yami muttered, rising to his feet. Without another word he began to walk away, motioning for Bakura to follow.

"W-Wait!" Bakura stumbled after the king, nearly falling several times in the process. "You still didn't tell me what you did!"

"Do you recognize the feeling?" Yami asked, briefly glancing at Bakura. "At all…?"

Bakura paused, thinking about it for a brief second, before he slowly shook his head. "Not that I know of…"

"_Bakura," _Yami said dangerously, glaring at the demon. "Focus on the feeling. I know for a fact you have experienced this before."

Bakura did as he was told, and closed his eyes for a brief moment. They flashed open quickly, and Bakura gasped, a hand curling about his chest.

"You felt it," Yami said softly. It was a statement, not a question.

Bakura nodded once, clutching tightly at his shirt. The sensation in his chest cavity was odd, to say the least. It felt like…something was moving inside of chest, crawling between his heart and lungs, snaking between his rib bones-

"My power," Bakura breathed, his bony fingers digging into his chest. "Why? Why did you return it to me?"

"It's a fraction of it, not the whole thing," Yami replied, staring at Bakura, eyes unblinking. "About a fourth… Consider it both a reward and a necessity. One, because you obviously were too weak to keep going moments ago, and two, for keeping your relationship steady."

"…You said you don't care whether or not I'm well-off. You'd rather see me suffering," Bakura said, lips perking slightly.

"Tch. It would be against the rules for me to use all my power while you have none. Don't think of it as generosity, because you're wrong." Yami dug through his pocket, and handed a small, gray-colored item to Bakura. "Here."

Bakura glanced down at it, quirking an eyebrow. "A rock?"

"Precisely." Yami didn't even bat an eyelash. "Test yourself for me, Bakura."

Bakura smirked, understanding quickly what Yami meant. Raising his index finger of his free hand, he swept it several times over the rock in his hand, and watched in a satisfied silence as they fell into even cubes. His finger had sliced right through the rock, like a blade. Then, he squeezed his hand about the cubes of rock, before uncurling his fingers. The cubes had been crushed into a mere powder in his palm.

"Hn. Good enough." Yami shoved his hands into his pockets, turning away. "Now that you have everything you need, get moving."

Bakura raised his hand to his lips, gently blowing the powder. He watched it flutter in the air before slowly falling to the ground. After that he quickly ran after Yami, a hand still curled about his chest. He hated that feeling, but there was nothing he could do about it.

They continued walking. Nearly twenty minutes into their journey Bakura stopped, stomach rumbling. He closed his eyes, stiffening. He had forgotten what hunger felt like, but now, the sensation was overpowering. The demon's eyebrow twitched, a bizarre craving occurring inside of him. He was starving, and he _needed _to fulfill the urge, _now._

Yami, again, sensed Bakura's actions, and stopped. He turned, finding Bakura motionless again. This time, Bakura's head was bowed, his snowy hair hiding his eyes from sight. "Bakura, pick up the pace. We're running out of time."

Yami stiffened as Bakura raised his head. His crimson eyes were nearly glowing, his entire body trembling. His mouth hung open, breathing deep and quickening. "…Bakura…"

Bakura flinched at his name, curling a hand about his mouth, and closing his eyes. Yami watched the demon shift about, obviously uncomfortable. There was a pained expression on his pale face, his breathing loud and erratic. He suddenly lowered his hand, and Yami's brow twitched at the sight of saliva running down Bakura's chin. The demon was so busy struggling to block out his desires he was forgetting everything else…

Bizarre noises were passing Bakura's lips that resembled his struggle. The younger demon's stomach growled loud enough for Yami to hear, and the king frowned, taking a step towards Bakura, cautiously. He had to be careful; Bakura could go berserk any second.

_I had forgotten about this. _Yami didn't remove his gaze from Bakura's unmoving, unblinking eyes that were glazed over. _Giving him even a bit of his power back meant awakening just that much of his true nature. Every demon – even weird ones like Bakura – gets hungry. He was, technically, dead a few moments ago… But now that he has power, he has feelings resembling life._

"Bakura, calm down," the king said softly, trying his best to break through to Bakura. The demon's jaw twitched, and he opened his mouth wider, successfully allowing more fluid to flow down his chin. The man didn't even seem to notice. Rapid breaths passed those lips, twitching with need.

_A demon needs food…a diet of blood and flesh. _Yami inched closer, gaze steady. Bakura tensed up, nearly growling. _And those cravings are even worse when they first gain power…because they need something to fuel that power. To learn to use it, to contain it, to be satisfied, they need food in their system. And Bakura, since he was a ghost, was unable to eat. His body needs food…_

What looked like a teardrop rolled down Bakura's cheek suddenly. Yami stopped at this, eyes narrowing a little. _So he's still struggling to contain himself… He's lucky he hasn't lost himself yet in need and want…_

"Bakura, calm down. We can go get food. You don't have to do this," Yami said, inching closer. "Ryou…wouldn't like it very much if you went off…"

Bakura stiffened, eyes widening a little more. Yami watched the young demon tremble violently before slowly sinking to the ground, hunching over on his knees. He was obviously still within reason, but… _He's still extremely dangerous at this point._

Yami grabbed Bakura by the arm, and helped him back up. Bakura whimpered, obviously fighting hard against his inner needs. He could barely even walk on his own… Yami wrapped a hand in Bakura shirt to help him maintain his balance, and helped him go forward.

Bakura's steps were wobbly and extremely heavy. Yami noticed that with every step Bakura's breathing hitched, and he made what sounded like a growl, obviously a fighting tactic against himself. But there was nothing Yami could do but try to keep Bakura within reasoning.

* * *

It was…sickening, to say the least. Yami had seated himself on the ground, quite a distance from Bakura. The pale demon didn't even seem to notice him as he ate.

Yami frowned. He hadn't ever seen a demon eat so violently, except when they had been starving on the streets.

Bakura was tearing into the leg of _something, _his teeth ripping through the skin so rapidly and roughly it sent blood spewing. He ate grossly fast, tearing through the muscle and fat as quickly as he could. Blood of the victim flowed freely down Bakura's chin, getting all over his clothing and hands, but he didn't seem to notice.

Yami twitched a bit as he watched Bakura bite down on a bone. The demon snarled at it, and with a mere two fingers, ripped it out and snapped it into pieces. He even guzzled down the blood like it was fine wine, staining his white teeth and thin lips.

Yami waited patiently for Bakura to finish. By the time Bakura did, all that remained was the pieces and dust of the bones. Yami looked back at Bakura, who was licking the blood from his fingers as if it was sugar.

"Why did you…let me do that?" Bakura suddenly whispered, staring down at one of his cleaned fingers. "It was…"

"It was a necessity." Yami didn't even blink. "You're a _demon, _Bakura. Learn to live and act like one. I don't care how much you hate it; you have to eat like everyone else does."

"It's disgusting," Bakura muttered, licking the blood from his lips. "Why was I so…forceful and crazed?"

"Your body needed food to fuel your new power." Yami stood up suddenly, hands in his pockets. "Otherwise it may have taken you over. Now come on. We've wasted plenty of time."

Bakura stood, staring down at the ground bones next to his sneakers. He swallowed, and hurriedly followed his master, trying to ignore the strong taste of flesh and blood in his throat.

He curled a pale, messy hand about his chest. He hated it when he felt like there was something slithering around inside of him… But he knew there really wasn't. It was nothing more than a power overload, wanting to escape.

_I have to contain it. _Bakura swallowed deeply. _I can't go crazy again… I need to be able to control myself._

But at that moment, Bakura wanted nothing more than to destroy something. He knew it was a natural side effect of demon power; but whether or not he controlled it was a different story.

_I haven't had this problem since I first received my power. Apparently it's been so long that I've forgotten how to control it… _Bakura, without thinking, licked at his lips, collecting droplets of blood onto his tongue. _I guess…I still have a lot more to learn._

"You're quiet," Yami suddenly stated, not turning around to look at Bakura, however.

"…It's nothing." Bakura quickened his pace a bit, for he was trailing Yami by quite a distance. "How much further until we get there?"

"Whenever time decides we should stop." Yami glanced over his shoulder at the younger demon, who blinked, slightly confused. "We're not looking for a specific place. We are merely looking for a place of isolation."

"Don't you think this is isolated enough?" Bakura asked, glancing about. He hadn't ever been this far away from the central branches of the realm before. It was very…_different. _While the sections he had been to had moderate lighting, homes, shops, even stray animals, _this _place had nothing. All he saw was a barren wasteland of darkness and weeds, dangerous cliffs bordering them on the left. There was no path; nothing but dirt, torn up by huge chunks of rock.

"Perhaps, but we're going to continue," Yami said carelessly. He smirked slightly, eyes locking with Bakura's, "You're lucky that there was a corpse here, otherwise you'd still be crazed."

Bakura bit his lip, but he didn't reply. He knew if he did it would probably anger the king, and that was _definitely _one thing he didn't want to deal with.

Again, there was a thick silence between them. Bakura _hated _quiet; he dealt with enough of it in his past, during those nights alone.

"Sir?" Bakura asked, his voice wavering slightly; he was afraid of how his master was going to act in a response.

"_What?" _Yami didn't turn around, but Bakura heard the strain in his voice. He was growing impatient.

"I know that…sooner or later I'll have to leave Ryou," Bakura started, looking down at the rocky soil beneath him. "But… What will happen to him once I'm gone? Will he remember me, or…?"

"…That depends. Everything depends on how you do on your mission. If the relationship is good, then yes, perhaps. But if not, there's definitely no way, and he'll probably have his memories cleansed."

"So you don't know…?" Bakura trailed off, crimson eyes glistening.

"What did I just say?" Yami whirled around, and Bakura gulped as he noticed the man's contracted pupils. "I just said it depends on your progress, Bakura! Listen when I'm talking to you!"

"…I'm just worried about him-"

"You're too soft," Yami hissed. "Why are you getting so twisted up in emotion? _He _is the one that is human, not you. You're a _demon. _You're not supposed to be _this _caught up in feelings of worry and _love."_

Instantly getting defensive, and not thinking before he spoke, Bakura snarled back, "Just because _you _can't feel emotion doesn't mean _I _can't."

The instant he spoke Bakura realized his mistake. He took a weak step backwards, knowing a storm was about to come. Yami almost instantly spun, and before Bakura could even blink, the demon king was on him.

The demon easily knocked Bakura flat of his back, pinning him down with thin arms. Before Bakura could fight back, Yami had grabbed him by a fistful of snow hair, slamming his head over and over again onto the rocky ground.

Yami was bellowing in his ear, driving Bakura's skull down over and over, carelessly letting it crush against the dirt and rocks. Bakura was biting his lip to keep from screaming, although pathetic whimpers were ripping past his lips. He could see nothing but stars and splotches of color, and he vaguely felt something wet on his face…

Panting, Yami finally stopped. He let Bakura go, and got up, almost carelessly wiping the dirt and dust from his pants. He prodded Bakura with his foot, signaling he needed to stand.

Bakura groaned softly as a response. A near river of blood was flowing down the side of his face, forming a little puddle about his skull. He still couldn't see, and he was trembling erratically at this point.

"Oh, get up," Yami snarled, grabbing Bakura by a lock of hair, and yanking him into an upright position. Bakura screamed in the process, feeling like his skull had just been crushed due to the sudden movement. "Bakura, quit groveling and stand!"

It hurt so much. Bakura was still blinded, unable to help but watch the twirling colors and shapes before him. He couldn't see anything else beyond that but darkness. His skull throbbed dangerously, and that wet feeling was starting to increase upon his face.

"You should consider yourself lucky," Yami muttered. "I could've done far more damage than just giving you a little headache. Now get up."

His vision was slowly starting to clear up, but the pain in his skull was getting worse. Bakura, once he was able to see enough, raised a hand and touched the side of his face. Instantly a wave of sheer agony assaulted him. When he lowered his hand, however, it was completely soaked in blood.

"Maybe next time you'll learn to keep that trap of yours shut," Yami muttered. "Now get up. You're fine."

Entire body shaking, Bakura tried to do so, and only wound up falling flat on his rear. He whimpered inaudibly, cradling the extremely sensitive, damaged section of his skull. Vaguely he felt more blood trickle down his face, smearing onto his fingers.

His breathing was uneven and uneasy. Bakura's vision was slowly beginning to gray out, and he knew he was starting to slip out of consciousness.

_N-No… _Bakura cried out softly, struggling to keep his eyes open. Through his hazy vision he saw Yami stoop down before him, his eyes narrowed. _I-I have to…stay awake…_

But that was becoming beyond a struggle. Bakura's eyelids were fluttering, the entire left side of his face one big mess. Yami sat there, crouched before his subordinate, merely watching Bakura struggle, expression surprisingly blank.

Everything was tilting to one side, going completely gray. Losing his vision entirely then Bakura vaguely felt the ground below him before his vision became enveloped in darkness.

Yami merely sat there and watched Bakura topple over onto his back. The younger demon's eyes were closed, his face twisted in obvious agony. Shrugging almost carelessly, Yami stooped down a little more to inspect the man's injury. It was still gushing blood; the wound was obviously pretty deep.

Yami groaned softly. Apparently he had overdone it. There was nothing he could do now but to wait.

* * *

Ryou kicked the door shut behind himself, shedding his coat and shoes before glancing about the apartment. He didn't see Bakrua standing about like usual…

Curiously, the child went to examine the other rooms of the apartment. He was a bit disappointed as to not find Bakura in any of them, either.

"Where is he?" Ryou pondered aloud. Bakura hadn't shown himself since early that morning… "Maybe he's asleep…"

Steadying himself against the wall, Ryou closed his eyes. Again, he began to think about his desire to see the spirit, and just like before, that little golden light appeared before him.

Ryou trembled slightly as he sunk to the floor, a hand cradled about his chest. His body was empty now.

The child, moments later, woke up in his soul room. He instantly hopped to his feet, and hurried to the doorway. His door was already open, and he slipped into the hallway with ease.

To his surprise, Bakura's door was open too. There was, however, no light coming from inside the room.

Arching an eyebrow, Ryou approached the steel door across the little corridor. Quietly, he poked his head into the room, noticing that with his presence it got just a little bit lighter; enough for him to see, anyway.

Taking a glance about, Ryou grew pale. Bakura's soul room was completely empty.

With shaky steps, Ryou entered the dim room. He didn't like the way shadows seemed to cover the walls or the fact his footsteps echoed in the stillness…

"Kura?" Ryou called out softly, venturing into the room further. He noticed that Bakura's bed was unmade, the dark covers kicked to the floor. The room was perfectly quiet, not one form of life to be seen within it besides himself.

Swallowing thickly, Ryou backed out of the room, and into the hall. The hall ended within a few more steps; both sides were dead ends. There was no way Bakura could be hiding.

Ryou's legs suddenly grew weak beneath him. Shaking, the child sank to the icy tile beneath him, curling up in the fetal position against the colorless wall behind him.

How could this be? How could Bakura be…gone? Where _was _he?

Suddenly, Ryou felt very cold, and alone. His thin arms snaked up, wrapping about himself in a form of protection. His brown eyes suddenly filled with tears as he bowed his head, struggling to cry.

_Liar. _Ryou grinned slightly, wiping away his tears the best he could. _I should've seen this coming… Of course he was gonna leave… Everyone else has… So what stopped him? Nothing was…_

Slowly, Ryou stood up, about to head back to his room, but paused as he glanced at Bakura's open door. Suddenly angry, Ryou walked over, and grabbed the cold, icy handle, before slamming the door closed.

Making his way back to his room, Ryou again, stopped, this time in the doorway of his own room. He practically glared at the closed door, fingers resting on the trim surrounding the doorway.

A teardrop trailed down his cheek as he entered his room. Gently closing the door, Ryou slowly made his way towards his bed. He climbed upon it, curling up amidst the sheets, and closed his eyes.

"I should've known better than to trust you." Ryou muttered, curling up a little more. Another lone tear trailed down his chubby cheek, and Ryou hastily whipped it away. "You could've at least said goodbye…jerk."

* * *

Chapter 13: End.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I suppose this is an update spree? XD Sorry. Just had the inspiration, so may as well write. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

Bakura groaned, his head rolling to one side as he slowly began to escape his previously comatose state. He slowly raised his hand; it felt uneasily heavy. He racked his brain for any collections of what had happened. As his bony fingers touched at the side of his skull, it came coming back as the pain did.

Bakura whimpered softly, taking a peek at his fingers, which were smeared in rust-colored blood. He slowly pushed himself up, now sitting up straight. The side of his face was covered with thick gauze, held down with tape. Blood was caked about the bandages though, showing through the wind, wadded material.

Bakura scowled, taking a look around. He blinked as he noticed his master lounging in midair, looking as if he was asleep. Bakura scowled. Two rather small, blackish red wings were curled inward underneath Yami, easily helping him stay up.

Bakura slowly took a glance at his own wings. It was pathetic. All he had was two naked stubs, although they were huge in comparison to Yami's wings. Bakura let out a light, somewhat weak sigh. His previously injured wing had healed for the most part; the bullet hole has sealed up by now and the wing has straightened again. However, it looked so weird having mere bases, and no feathers.

"So, you're finally awake." Yami yawned suddenly, straightening, and giving a stretch. "About time, Bakura."

"If you hadn't flipped out we wouldn't have had that issue." Bakura muttered, shakily rising to his feet. He wavered for a few seconds before regaining his footing. "How much farther…?" he mumbled, wiping his mouth.

"We're going to go ahead and stop here. There's not enough time to keep going." Yami's small wings beat slightly, the demon king landing with ease on the rocky soil. He walked over to Bakura, his arms folded. "My question is whether or not you're ready for this."

"It'd help if I knew _what _this was," Bakura replied, shrugging slightly. "What exactly do I have to do?"

"You'll be graded on three parts." Yami suddenly unzipped his jacket, shedding it, revealing a black undershirt. "The first is defense, second is sacrifice, and third is judgment. You'll learn what it means when I get to it. The better question is whether or not you are prepared."

"I'm ready." Bakura planted his feet firmly, despite the flutter he felt in his chest of nervousness. "Bring it."

Yami smirked. "I'm sure you're excited. The first part is defense; or more like a fight, of sorts." Bakura swallowed as Yami cracked his knuckles; magic was radiating from the demon king already. "You will be seeing 'Ryou' behind you; it is more of a doll, however, that looks like him. It cannot move or think on its own. You must protect it from me. I'm not going easy on you, though, so be warned."

Yami snapped his fingers, and Bakura blinked, turning about to look behind himself. Indeed, like Yami had said, there stood a Ryou look-alike. However, Bakura knew it wasn't the real thing. Those huge eyes were obviously empty, and fake.

"Time starts… now." Bakura whirled about as Yami said this, the white-haired demon's hands curling into fists as he waited the first attack.

As Bakura predicted, Yami did in fact attack him directly at first. Snarling, and making sure to keep out of the way of the little doll behind him, Bakura grabbed Yami's hands. Their fingers intertwined for a split second, and Bakura growled deep within his throat, trying to push the demon away.

With a smirk, Yami pulled one hand back, taking a swipe at Bakura. A dull burst of dark magic lashed at Bakura, hitting him square in the face. It was, for the most part, harmless, but Bakura had been blinded. Instantly Bakura stumbled back, clawing at his eyes with a snarl. Cracking his eyes open Bakura just barely caught sight of Yami going towards the doll-like boy.

"Don't you _dare!" _Bakura screeched, his knees buckling as he jumped at Yami. He landed on the demon king's back, successfully knocking him flat of the ground on his stomach. He began to punch the king with all he had, his knuckles popping painfully, the bones straining dangerously.

It wasn't long before the two were in a fight of dominance, rolling across the ground atop of one another. When they came to a stop, Yami was seated on Bakura's hips, magic radiating from him, his nails biting into Bakura's skinny arms.

Yami hissed, grinning. He upraised his hands, shackling them about Bakura's throat, easily choking the demon. Bakura desperately began to try to free himself, kicking and bucking. He was struggling to breathe, clawing at Yami's hands desperately.

"You're _weak." _Yami spat, leaning down. He dug his fingers into the gauze covering Bakura's face, successfully tearing into the still healing wound. Bakura choked as a scream was blocked off, blood spurting into the gauze. Instantly a splotch of crimson appeared fresh on the white wraps.

_Get…off of me! _Bakura mentally screamed. His hands suddenly shot out, one grabbing Yami by the hair, the other aiming a somewhat moderate punch to the demon king's jaw. As Yami reeled, Bakura wretched away, gasping, but he didn't dare stop to catch his breath. He lunged at Yami again, diving atop of him, and began to hit and punch with all the strength he had. He scratched and screamed, beating the king with all his power.

Suddenly, Bakura let out a scream, reeling back for only a split second before looming over Yami. He was snarling like an animal, those pupils inside crimson orbs beginning to shrink. They became the size of the tip of a pen, barely noticeable in an ocean of blood red irises.

Bakura arched his back, letting out a snarl as he grabbed Yami by the shoulders. He lifted the king for a second for slamming him back down. Yami choked and let out a hoarse cry, the bones snapping in his spine from the impact.

He could sense Bakura's magic coming back. Even though Bakura's magic was weak, if it pooled enough, it could be deadly. Energy was leaving the demon in waves, and Bakura was growling deep within his throat. His pinpoint pupils suddenly shrunk even further, and Bakura screamed, driving a toned fist into Yami's shoulder.

The king couldn't hold it back. He screamed as Bakura drove straight through him, his fist cleaning through his body before crunching into the ground beneath. Bakura was panting, his eyes brimming with tears suddenly.

Bakura wretched away, tearing his hand through Yami again to free himself. He felt utterly, completely sick to his stomach as he stared down at the king. There was a gaping hole ripping through him; a giant circle that was spurting blood. Bakura cringed, feeling a twisting in his gut as he stared down at muscle, fat, and naked bone. Yami started to sit up, and Bakura released a choked cry, suddenly wrenching away. He hunched over, abruptly emptying his stomach of its previous contents.

Bakura groaned loudly, vomit stinging his throat. He stomach still hurt, even after he emptied it. At this point he felt too sick to even care about what was going on. His chest felt swollen, as if something was building up within him…

Yami swore, inspecting the gaping hole about him. He could see straight through himself, as gross as it was. With a scowl he licked his hands, desperately rubbed his saliva about the edges of the wound. After several more tries and much more time, the wound slowly began to heal up. Yami decided to wait, and scowled at Bakura. "What was your problem?"

Bakura shook his head, feeling like he was going to puke again. "I-I don't know… M-My stomach…and my chest… H-Hurt…"

Yami cursed again. He had noticed Bakura's pupils earlier, and it dawned on him. "Your power overloaded." He groaned, dragging a hand through him bangs. "Well… Obviously you're good enough at defending him if such a situation arose; you could've just killed me, after all…"

Yami trailed off as he noticed Bakura's shoulders scrunch up, the snowy-haired demon bowing his head as he weakly began to dry heave, feeling sick again. He cupped a hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut.

"…Obviously if you did all of this at his expense… You would surely sacrifice yourself for him." Yami clasped a hand atop of Bakura's head, causing the pale demon to shrink down, whining softly. Yami sighed, burying his fingers into Bakura's hair as he began the third step: judgment.

He closed his eyes, a tremble going through him as he began the process. He set his jaw, his fingers getting tighter and tighter in Bakura's snowy locks. In the demon king's mind, it was like a scale. One end held Ryou's heart while the other held Bakura's. The king watched the scale tip from side to side for a long moment, before it slowly dipped down, just slightly, on Bakura's side, about a quarter of an inch from being balanced.

"…Bakura… I've decided." The king's fingers loosened as he opened his eyes, shutting his powers off. "The main reason you two are having rifts is because of trust, and certain behaviors of yours… Get that cleared up, and everything else will be ironed out. Other than that…" Yami released Bakura, who didn't move in the slightest. "Unfortunately I can't criticize you otherwise."

Bakura's eyes widened, his hand tightening over his mouth for a brief second before he released it, another aftershock of vomit leaving him. Suddenly the pale demon screamed, his fingernails digging into the dirt, the man shaking and shrieking in agony. It was building up too much…

"Release it." Yami commanded, his lips a mere inch from Bakura's ear. "Now."

Bakura bit his lip, struggling to contain the whimpers that were coming from his lips. He felt incredibly weak, acting like this, but… Bakura let out a weak sob, his power and magic evaporating off of him in waves.

"Bakura, why do you think I brought you out here? It was a precaution in case something went wrong. You're in no danger of hurting anyone or anything. Now release it!" Yami screamed, yanking a lock of Bakura's hair.

Suddenly, Bakura let out a pitched scream, which successfully sent a chill down Yami's backside. The demon king watched, greatly interested. A barely noticeable gray collected about Bakura's hands as he dug his fingers further into the rocky soil. Bakura's mouth was open wide as he struggled to breathe evenly, and Yami smiled to himself as he watched the fangs beginning to grow from Bakura's lips, the gums beginning to bleed.

Bakura made a noise that resembled a cross between a sigh and a moan. Yami watched, silently, as Bakura arched his back, his fangs successfully having grown by now, but the light about his hands was growing with every second. It spread around them like cracks in a sidewalk, webbing across the rocky ground with incredible speed.

Suddenly Bakura screamed, and Yami watched with a smirk as the scene played out before him. The ground beneath them suddenly cracked open wide, and Yami didn't even bat an eyelash as everything around them, everything in sight, suddenly began to shatter. Bakura was screaming, his nails tearing through the dirt with ease.

Yami watched, quite satisfied, as a near blinding light emitted from about Bakura suddenly. The earth around them suddenly crumbled like a wet sandcastle; the ground was split as if an earthquake had struck, the huge boulders about them crumbled into nothingness. As far as Yami could see, everything was destroyed into dust, and chunks of earth were falling apart and into the channel bordering them on one side. He glanced back at Bakura with a satisfied grin.

"I'm quite impressed. You barely had any power at the moment, and yet you pulled _that _off." Yami crouched down before Bakura, noticing the demon's change, and scowled. "Bakura."

Bakura was panting, his eyes beginning to roll back in his head. His clothing was torn to shreds, obviously destroyed because of the burst of power. He was doused in sweat, blood trickling over his lips, which was pouring out of his gums. His fangs were thick and a pearly white, contrasting sharply with Bakura's bright red face.

Yami stood there for a long moment, before stooping down before Bakura, who looked at him fuzzily. Yami carefully reached out and pressed a hand to Bakura's forehead, feeling the burning skin. "…You're going to get your wings back. Once you learn to control your power a bit more… I'll gladly return it to you." Yami's eyes narrowed. "You've succeeded."

Bakura groaned loudly, eyes rolling back in his head. Yami's methods of power were just too much for his body at that moment. His head lolled to one side, his eyes drifting shut as he fell unconscious.

Only seconds later his stubs of wings twitched, before suddenly becoming overgrown in oval shaped, black feathers. They were overflowing the stumps, creating a huge garden of black. Bakura's wings slowly pulled closer to its owner, every feather, with its worn edges but long body, following the same direction.

Yami sighed softly, stooping down at the younger demon's side, wrapping his arms about the body and hefted him up. Bakura was limp in his hold, his head instantly falling against Yami's upper arm, his neck unable to hold up his head. Yami scowled, truly not wanting to carry him, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't waste any more time…

He spread his wings, taking off airborne just slightly and began to take flight. It was faster than walking, and Yami knew this. The dark objects beat twice, sending the demon king zipping through the air.

He glanced down at Bakura, frowning slightly. The younger demon looked broken at that moment, and Yami did not know what to think. Bakura's head was against his arm, his crimson eyes closed. The bruises skin was swelling rapidly and Bakura's lips were bloodstained. His fangs successfully curved over his pale lips, stained with blood, which trickled down his chin, and dripped onto his mere shreds of clothing. His shirt and jeans were held together by mere seams, barely covering his bruised, broken body. Bakura's cheeks were bright red, his forehead burning against Yami's arm. Obviously he was suffering.

Yami groaned, quickening his pace. He needed to hurry up and get back, as fast as possible, even if it meant showing weakness by carrying Bakura along.

* * *

Ryou was silent, curled up in one corner of the sofa, carelessly mixing about his food about on his plate with a fork. He wasn't hungry anymore. Ever since Bakura left… He didn't really have the will for anything.

Ryou sighed and took a bite, his eyes locked onto his toes. He shivered slightly, closing his eyes for a brief second. _Kura…_

Suddenly, as if on a cue, the front door burst open. Ryou let out a shriek, his plate instantly being tossed onto the coffee table as the child leapt to his feet, about to run, but stopped, feeling his heart drop into the souls of his feet at the sight.

Yami, as he remembered, was standing in the opening of his front door. In his arms, held near bridal style, was Bakura. The demon was barely recognizable at the moment, but Ryou knew…

Slowly, with shaking steps, Ryou approached. He stood on tiptoe, peeking at the bundle in Yami's arms, frowning deeply as his eyes watered. Bakura's clothing was torn to pieces, his face blossomed into pink, his skin broken and bruised. Some sections of his body were swelling rapidly as it was bruising. What took Ryou most by surprise was the ocean of black feathers upon Bakura's stumps of wings, and the huge fangs overflowing from pale lips, dripping blood.

"K-Kura…" Ryou gently reached out, and touched the demon. A cry passed through Ryou as he felt like he had been burned. With worried eyes he stared at Bakura, blinking as he noticed an off-gray color dusted about Bakura's fingertips.

"His power is apparently too much for you at the moment," Yami said quietly, brushing past Ryou. He set Bakura down atop the couch, watching in silent amusement as Bakura hovered about a quarter of an inch above the sofa. The demon king could walk with ease on earth's grounds, but Bakura still floated.

Suddenly, Ryou felt a seed of rage burst in him. "Why did you do all this without telling me?! Do you have any _idea-"_

"Don't be stupid," Yami snarled, glaring at Ryou. "As if I could tell you he was going to be tested. It was meant to be a secret until it was completed. It's against the standards to tell. Besides, why would it matter? It's not like you could accompany him."

Ryou bristled, hissing slightly at the demon king. "You must be kidding. You don't know how worried I was about him!" Ryou cried. "I thought he left me… I didn't know where he was, whether or not he was safe… And there you are, saying it doesn't _matter?"_

A sudden, soft groan caused the two boys to stop, glancing at the sofa. Ryou held his breath, seeing Bakura's crimson eyes fluttering open, locked with the ceiling. Ryou hurried over, climbing onto the couch at Bakura's side. Without hesitation, the little boy grabbed the demon's hand. "Kura?" Ryou asked quietly. "C… Can you hear me?"

"R… Ry…ou…?" Bakura croaked, glancing at the child, his eyes exhausted. "…W… What… W-Where…"

"Shh… You need to relax," Ryou scolded softly, a little hand touching at Bakura's forehead. At this touch Bakura's eyelids fluttered, Ryou's hand feeling like ice on his burning forehead. "You have a fever, Kura…"

"His body isn't accustomed to his powers yet," Yami said gruffly, folding his arms across his chest. "The symptoms will fade once his body can handle his changes."

"H… Hurts…" Bakura said this quietly, his head lolling to one side. "R-Really…hurts… T-Tired, too…"

Yami suddenly hummed, approaching the sofa. Ryou's eyes widened as Yami suddenly cut into his arm with his nails, the razor sharp claws splitting the peach colored flesh right open. Ryou's mouth fell open at the sudden destruction, his expression growing confused as Yami went closer to Bakura. "W… What are you…doing?"

"Helping him heal." Yami said emotionlessly, bending over the demon. He grabbed Bakura's chin, prying the demon's mouth open with ease. Huge, white fangs glimmered instantly, Bakura's breath still smelled with the scent of vomit. Yami scowled at this, digging his claws further into the wound. Almost instantly a small stream of blood dribbled from the demon's skin, dripping from the flesh and into Bakura's mouth.

Bakura's throat suddenly contracted, and the demon let out a noise that vaguely resembled a whine. Bakura suddenly began to pant, those crimson eyes growing foggy. Bakura whined again, his nails sinking into the shredded fabric of his jeans. He was practically begging, wordlessly.

"But with blood?" Ryou questioned softly, wincing as he watched more and more blood pour into Bakura's mouth, who was swallowing quickly, licking his lips for any stray droplets.

"Blood is an essential for demons. It's like a vitamin." Yami winced, tilting his arm more to increase the blood flow. Bakura moaned softly suddenly, arching his back as he struggled to raise himself higher to get more, from the source. "It's also full of an energy we need. It should help him heal better."

"N-No…" Bakura suddenly spoke, his crimson eyes suddenly growing foggy. He was panting as Yami suddenly pulled away, licking at the self-inflicted wound, which easily began to seal up. "M-More… W-Want…more…"

"No more." Yami replied gruffly. "Go back to sleep. Now."

"T-Thirsty… R-Really…thirsty…" Bakura slowly rose, managing to sit up on his own. His eyes were shadowed, the demon's hair wet with perspiration. He slumped slightly, obviously exhausted. He whined softly, desperate. He felt like he hadn't anything to drink in days, so parched… "P-Please…"

"No, Bakura." Yami's voice was strained, proving he was growing frustrated. He hated the demon even more when he was like this. "Lay down. Get some rest-"

"Wait." Ryou clambered close to Bakura, having seated himself on the couch. When Bakura didn't notice Ryou, the little boy reached out, cupping Bakura's face in his hands. "Kura, listen… If…it helps…you can use me-"

"You must be insane, kid," Yami interrupted with a growl. "Bakura can easily suck you dry if he wanted to-"

"He won't… I… I trust him." Ryou looked back into Bakura's eyes with a frown. Bakura was panting heavily, a look of need and pain in those shadowed crimson orbs. Ryou bit his lip. "Come on, Kura. I… I wanna help you."

As if hesitant, one of Bakura's hands snaked towards Ryou, taking the little one's arm and yanking up the sleeve. Ryou was stiff, letting out a choked cry when Bakura sank his huge claws into his little limb, easily ripping him open. Instantly blood oozed from the wound.

Bakura raised the limb to his lips, his tongue snaking over the broken skin, lapping up the blood as quickly as he could. He moaned, not noticing Ryou's blush of embarrassment. Suddenly, Bakura's eyes grew dark, and he bared his fangs, biting Ryou in the arm.

Ryou screamed, jerking slightly. Blood spurted from about the bite, and Bakura was in sheer bliss as his mouth filled to the brim with the substance. He swallowed hungrily, drinking more and more, biting harder and harder. He was puncturing Ryou's veins, greedily sucking him dry, getting impatient.

He was so thirsty it hurt. Bakura began to moan in sheer bliss, his eyelids fluttering as he drank more and more. The more he drank, the more he wanted.

Ryou was beginning to get dizzy. His arm felt like it was on fire, burning with a pain Ryou never felt before. "K-Kura… You're hurting…me…" he said quietly, using his free hand to gently push at the demon's chest.

With a snarl Bakura bit harder, and began to suck. He sucked in the blood even quicker now than with his previous method. Bakura was practically purring, a greedy smile on his lips.

Noticing how Ryou was protesting and beginning to grow pale, Yami used one hand to grab Bakura, the other one going to Ryou. He pulled the two apart roughly, wincing slightly as he watched Bakura's fangs drag down Ryou's chubby arm.

Ryou was crying as he was separated. He whimpered, collapsing on his rear in one corner of the couch, sobbing softly. It hurt so much…

"Let me see it." Yami grabbed Ryou's arm, and without so much as a warning, licked at the little one's wound. Instantly it began to heal. "There. You'll be fine, kid… It's just like donating blood at the hospital. You're dizzy…but you'll be okay in the end."

They both glanced in Bakura's direction as the demon suddenly moaned. He was swaying from side to side, a hand to his forehead. "W… What happened…?"

"You drank from your host." Yami said simply, but he was scowling. "Due to your greed…"

Bakura looked at the little boy, who was still crying, curled into himself in the corner of the couch. "Ryou…" Bakura started, reaching towards him. Ryou stiffened, but did not object. "I'm really sorry… I'm just…" He sighed. "It's a pathetic excuse, but… I'm not…who I used to be anymore."

Ryou's watery eyes met Bakura's, and the child swallowed, choking on his tears. Bakura's lips, pale as they were, were soaked in blood. He was breathing out of his mouth, his fangs curving over his lips, glimmering and wet with blood. His eyes seemed tired now. His chest heaved beneath the mere tatters of his clothing, his pale skin webbed with bruises and lacerations, one of his cheeks wrapped with gauze, stained with rust-colored blood.

Ryou bowed his head. He was so confused at that moment… He felt scared, nervous, and yet he wanted to help Bakura.

"Oh, Ryou…" Bakura reached towards the fragile little boy, almost afraid to touch him. He was scared he was going to taint Ryou. "Please, I…"

Biting his lip, and unsure of what to say, Bakura closed his eyes, and placed a feather light kiss on the child's temple that only lasted for a split second. He pulled back, his bloodstained lips having left a slight smear of red on the child's skull. Bakura bit his lip, shaking his head. "I… I'm really sorry…"

Ryou didn't reply. He squeezed his big, beautiful eyes shut, sniffing. Almost fearfully, he scooted towards Bakura, wrapping his arms about the demon, trying not to cry. He felt so torn and confused…

"Please don't cry…" Bakura whispered in the child's ear, rubbing Ryou's back. "Please, Ryou, don't…"

"I'm sorry," Ryou choked out, a few droplets escaping. He looked up at Bakura with those teary eyes. "So sorry…"

"Why are you sorry? You have no reason to be, Ryou…" He wiped Ryou's tears away gently, his claws – huge, bloody, and sharp – barely touching his skin. "I'm the one who's sorry… I hurt you… Not just physically, but emotionally, once more… I kept screwing you up…"

Ryou choked, burying his face into Bakura's chest, crying softly. Bakura sighed, resting his chin atop Ryou's head as Ryou cried, the demon lacing arms about the child's small back. He merely let Ryou cry, a collection of guilt building in his gut.

The demon always felt warm, but never like this. Bakura's skin was emitting a heat Ryou never felt, and he guessed it was from the fever. Ryou cried into the mere tatters of shredded cloth, clearly able to see Bakura's bruised, milky skin. He crawled closer to Bakura, practically sitting in the man's lap as he sobbed.

"Shh…" Bakura shushed Ryou softly, rubbing the child's back again. "It's okay, Ryou… Just let it out… It's gonna be okay, I promise… I'm not going to hurt you again…" He nuzzled Ryou's snowy hair. "'Promise…"

Ryou sniffled, looking up at Bakura. The demon gave a slight smile of hope. Ryou gave a wobbly grin back, wiping his tears away as he rose from his haunches. Bakura blinked, watching Ryou with interest.

The child turned bright red suddenly; leaning higher, and suddenly, placed a peck on Bakura's jaw, obviously trying to repeat what Bakura had earlier done. Shyly, Ryou buried his face back in Bakura's chest, whining softly.

Bakura chuckled, rubbing Ryou's back, hugging him, smiling. He leaned down, squeezing the boy. "'Love you too."

And all Yami could do was watch the scene play out before him, motionless.

* * *

Chapter 14: End.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Wow, long time no see. My apologies, but life happened... Thank you for your patience.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

It had been nearly six weeks since that day, and that had left plenty of time for change. It had happened over time, but to Bakura, it felt like it occurred within a day.

The demon's body had healed without an issue, and he was slowly getting more and more powerful. Yami had reappeared a couple times during this time, revealing to the demon in private that he had put an advanced seal on Bakura's magic; one that only faded if Bakura obeyed the regulations set for it. For this seal, the closer Bakura grew to Ryou, the happier Ryou was, the weaker the seal would become.

And to say Bakura and Ryou were close was an understatement. Yet, somehow, it seemed like every day brought a new opportunity for things to become even better. And because of this, the seal on Bakura's magic was getting weaker and weaker. It wouldn't be much longer before Bakura could break it on his own.

Bakura wasn't the only one changing. Ryou, the little boy Bakura had come to love, was beginning to change in his own way. Bakura had watched quietly over the past couple weeks, and had noticed that his host's body was altering. Ryou was rapidly getting taller, although his width hadn't changed at all.

Due to it being the weekend, Ryou didn't have school. The two boys were lounging on the couch quietly, for it was early in the morning. Ryou was bundled up in Bakura's arms, the demon's huge black wings wrapping about the two of them like a feathered cocoon, warming them in a comfortable manner. The demon absently stroked Ryou's hair with his clawed fingers, fangs visible as they curved over his lips.

Ryou was fiddling with what appeared to be a pastel blue digital camera; the gift Malik had sent him. It seemed to be expensive, and Ryou was still trying to figure out how to work it. With a bit of a frustrated sigh, Ryou set the electronic device down on the coffee table, before leaning further against Bakura's muscled chest. "Kura… I'm bored. What should we do today?"

"Saying you're bored often means you're a boring person, Ryou." Bakura snorted in reply. However, he seemed thoughtful. "Hmm. How about… I show you a little trick of mine?"

Ryou looked up at him and blinked, his big brown eyes seeming to sparkle in response. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Bakura smiled, suddenly pushing himself up from the couch, his wings spreading in order to help him hover. Ryou balanced with ease on his lap, the two boys easily levitating in the air. Suddenly, Bakura moved Ryou's arms, lacing them about his own throat. "Hold on tight, okay?"

"H-Huh?" Ryou asked, looking very confused. "B-But I don't-"

"Shh," Bakura interrupted, his wings suddenly spreading, causing the demon to float higher. "Just hold on and enjoy the ride."

Ryou cried out as Bakura suddenly shot across the room at an unimaginable speed, zooming through the brick wall without any difficulty. Ryou held tight onto Bakura's neck, vaguely feeling the demon's arms supporting his rear. The child choked, feeling sick for a brief second as the vague blurs of brick passed him.

Suddenly, making it outside of the apartment, Bakura stopped abruptly, making Ryou's head bob for a second. The child whined, tightening his grip.

"Rough stop, sorry." Bakura seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Hn. All right, Ryou. I want you to take a look around for me. Look down… Look how tiny the city is down there… See?"

Ryou slowly did as Bakura said and his eyes instantly widened. It was much different in this situation; he had seen the city from his apartment window from the same height plenty of times, but this was much more real. He wasn't standing behind glass in a building, but instead floating just above the sights, with nothing beneath him for support. A soft noise of awe left Ryou.

"You like?" Bakura asked, following Ryou's gaze. Slowly he climbed a bit higher, smiling softly. He was already invisible to these humans, except Ryou, but the boy wasn't. He had to cloak Ryou. He took a long look at the city, bathed in pale gold morning sunlight, reflecting off the beautiful layers of snow, dusted on streets, cars, and buildings.

"It's really pretty…" Ryou murmured, a light wind stirring his hair. His grip loosened a bit on Bakura's neck suddenly.

"I thought you'd like it." Bakura beamed happily. Small waves of dark magic left Bakura, for he was easily using it, both by making Ryou invisible and to be taking Ryou flying with him. He could easily do this on his own, but to carry around a human soul, it was much different. "I take it you're not scared of heights…"

"Not really. I think everything looks really pretty higher up." Ryou said, his head tilted sideways.

"You ought to see my realm," Bakura murmured, resting his chin atop of Ryou's fluffy head, a stray breeze rustling their clothing. "You get up in the air and everything on the ground twinkles like stars."

"I'd love to see it," Ryou answered happily, with a laugh. He suddenly scowled, looking up at the demon, "…A-Are you allowed to take me though? Is it safe?"

"I can take you if my magic is great enough to support the both of us. If we stay in the richer part of town it should be perfectly safe, yes… Just have to be careful of some. There are some odd and violent ones out there, Ryou. But don't worry; I'd protect you." He said with a smile.

"…Can you try?" Ryou cocked his head, a soft frown on his lips. "I… I want to see it… I want to see what your world is like…"

"…Okay." Bakura wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but he had brought it up, now he had to go through with it. He hugged Ryou tight to himself, closing his eyes. "This might sting a little, similar to when you scrape your knee or something along those lines. If it begins to hurt badly, you need to tell me. That proves I don't have enough magic and I'll stop."

A very noticeable glow suddenly took shape along Bakura's body, little waves of magic radiating from him as he activated it. Ryou whimpered softly, feeling the sharp tingling Bakura had been referring to.

Suddenly, Ryou felt lightheaded. He choked as he suddenly jerked, the world about him abruptly vanishing. Ryou cried out, able to see nothing but darkness, despite the fact his eyes were wide open. He vaguely heard Bakura grunt and whine, as if he was in pain. Slowly, a new landscape came before Ryou's eyes, signaling they had indeed switched realms.

Bakura jerked roughly as he landed on the stone walkway, stumbling, but managed to catch himself. He was breathing heavily, a trickle of blood leaking from his lip, which seemed to be broken in from what looked like a puncture wound, from one of his fangs.

"Obviously landings aren't my best act," Bakura said, panting. He slowly set Ryou down on the ground, but held the boy's hand protectively. "'Need to work on that…"

"Are you okay?" Ryou asked, not liking the roughness of Bakura's breathing.

"Yeah… The switching of realms just sucked up a lot of my magic, nothing to worry about…" The demon squeezed the little one's hand as he took a look around. "Hmm. It's nighttime here… So chances of being noticed are slimmer. That's good; don't need to have the whole world know I came back."

Ryou blinked, taking a look around. The street under their feet was a beaten down stone, colored gray. On either side of the road were lamps lit by controlled fires. Further ahead, near the distance, were the huge, sharp curves and points of houses. They were huge, colored either gray or a pale crème, surrounded by metal gates and lush grass. The sky at the moment was painted a blackish purple, signaling it had just hit sunset a few moments ago. In the distance were sharp cries, as if cheering, and deeper, behind the houses, came flashing lights.

"What's going on anyway?" Ryou asked curiously, looking up at Bakura, tugging on his hand. "Where all the yelling is coming from."

"Probably a celebration." Bakura said simply, a soft frown on his lips. "We'd go check it out but that would greatly increase our chances of being noticed, and I can't afford that…" Bakura hummed thoughtfully. "Although… I don't know if I'd go even if that wasn't a risk…"

"What do you mean?" Ryou asked, looking up at the demon, shifting his fingers in Bakura's hand.

"Well…" The demon stooped down for a moment and scooped the child up into his arms, his wings twitching at the new weight. "The richer people may be nice, Ryou, but they love to drink. As if I'd let you hang around a bunch of drunks." He snorted. "And I'm sure the scenery of the party is one thing you don't need to be looking at. You're too young to comprehend half of it and I don't need you killing yourself trying to figure it all out, or have those little eyes of yours scarred forever by what some people do."

Ryou nodded slowly, shifting slightly in the demon's arms. Bakura supported Ryou's rear with his forearm, one clawed hand burying itself into Ryou's snowy hair gently for a moment.

Bakura suddenly jumped, his feathered black wings spreading, and easily taking him up into the air. He kept a slow, steady pace as he drifted higher, holding Ryou softly but safely. He stole a glance at the boy and smiled softly. To say the boy was amazed was an understatement.

Finally, Bakura stopped climbing and stopped, his wings beating softly behind him to keep him in the air. He smiled into Ryou's hair, "So what do you think?"

Ryou nodded numbly. It was absolutely beautiful in Ryou's eyes. The buildings had shrunk to smaller sizes than doll-houses, all the lights that had been on within them twinkling like tiny gems. Further away, where the celebration was, the flashing lights and loud music also drew Ryou's attention. He loved the way the lights reflected off the houses and the music seemed to echo and pound around him. "It's…amazing, Kura."

"Glad you think so." Bakura said with a soft chuckle, willing them to land again. As he did, Bakura released Ryou, setting the child down on the street on his own two legs, but again took Ryou's hand. "C'mon, let's look around a bit more before we head back. I can't stay here for long."

Ryou nodded in understanding, walking in step with Bakura as the demon made his way down the street, the lamps easily creating a path of light for them. They walked like this for a while, Bakura pointing out tiny details to Ryou every once in a while, and not once did Ryou's awe falter. Finally, the two boys reached the edge of the richer district, where Bakura stopped completely.

"Well, that's about it." Bakura said with a shrug, releasing Ryou's hand. "Enjoy yourself?"

Ryou bobbed his head happily, smiling up at the demon. "It's so pretty here." He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "But you said this is the section where everything is gorgeous, right?"

"Yeah, this district and this district alone." Bakura snorted. "Where I grew up was a total dump. There's no way I'm letting you near there." He shrugged softly. "Anyway… Guess we should head back, huh? Let me see if my magic…is…" Bakura suddenly trailed off, noticeably getting stiffer.

"Kura? What's wrong?" Ryou asked, a sharp cry leaving him as Bakura suddenly whirled around and pushed him flat of his back. Seconds later something flew over the child, who froze, not able to recognize what it was due to the speed. All he saw was a blur of colors in the pale light.

Ryou jolted back to life as a scream reached him, and he sat up quickly, eyes wide in alarm. He froze, however, as he saw the back of the creature, who was holding Bakura by the throat. Bakura's shirt was ripped open completely, soaked with blood.

"K-Kura!" Ryou screamed, tears welling in his eyes as the creature holding the demon suddenly pushed him down. Bakura hit the ground like a rock, falling instantly onto his back as he breathed heavily, his chest continuing to overflow blood. Ryou scrambled to his feet and ran towards the pair, but froze as the creature sitting on Bakura's stomach turned to look at him.

He found himself staring into wide amethyst eyes, settled onto peach skin, stained with splatters of Bakura's blood. A set of razor-sharp nails were embedded into Bakura's chest, drawing even more of the demon's life fluid. Absently he was licking at the claws on his other hand, drinking up Bakura's blood hungrily with an amused sneer on his lips. He was wearing a pair of black jeans, the knees ripped out, and a baggy shirt that was the same color as his eyes. The sleeves ended at his elbows, the fabric also splattered in Bakura's life fluid. However, what unnerved Ryou was the thin, purple, pointed tail snaking out from a small nick in the back of the male's jeans.

Suddenly the boy turned back to look at Bakura, grinning widely, digging sharply into the demon's chest. Bakura cried out sharply in response, his back arching in pain. The demon had lost too much magic at this point to fight back; merely using fists and feet was no match for another demon.

"You brought company," the shorter demon hissed, absently licking at his claws as he eyed Ryou. "A _human boy."_

"M-Mine…" Bakura choked out, trying to sit up. In response the gaping hole in his chest bled more, and Bakura collapsed again. "D-Don't t-touch him…"

"Why not?" the little demon purred out, suddenly hopping up from Bakura and practically skipping towards Ryou. The little boy whimpered and recoiled, terror written on his face. At this the demon pouted, his tail wrapping absently about his waist. Suddenly he lunged out, grabbing Ryou by the chin, smearing Bakura's blood across Ryou's delicate face. Ryou stiffened, desperately trying not to act out, for he knew if he did he would be attacked. The demon before him hummed with a frown. "Well now. Just like-"

"_Yuugi, _I swear, if you run off one more _time, _I'm going to-" The voice suddenly trailed off, and all three boys looked in the direction it came from. Emerging from one of the alleyways was the demon king himself, a sudden look of surprise scrawled on his face at the scene. It took only two seconds for it to erupt into anger. "What's going on _here?"_

Yuugi, the small demon, released Ryou and skipped over to the king, eagerly grabbing his hand and tugging on it childishly. "Look what I found, Yami," he said in a sing-song voice. "I found Bakura," he pointed to the pallid, still bleeding demon, who had managed to sit up on his own, before pointing to Ryou, "And a human boy."

The pair moved into the street, going to Bakura first. Ryou stood there, frozen, his mind numb from what had just happened. He watched quietly, a bit surprised by seeing Yami; after all, it was the first time Ryou saw him wearing anything else than his jacket and a pair of pants.

The demon king, who was both helping Bakura with his wounds, screaming at him, and hitting him in the head all at the same time, was indeed clad in a different outfit this time around. Not only that, but it was much more flashy and revealing than the thick coat he was always seen in. Now, the king was wearing several layers; an assortment of undershirts, in different shades of red and gold, all piled up underneath a black, v-neck tee. Crisp white bandages snaked down his arms and stopped at his elbows. His wrists were covered in animal bone and teeth bracelets. He was also clad in a pair of black pants, and his waist was covered in a thin bunch of separate fabric. Hanging from the red waistband was an assortment of beads and chains, some hanging so low they hit the demon's knees.

"How stupid _are _you?!" the king screamed, pausing in beating Bakura over the head with his knuckles to inspect the wound on his chest. It had sealed, finally, leaving behind patches of uneven skin, stained in blood. He pulled away, glaring down at his subordinate. "What were you thinking?"

Bakura nursed at his now throbbing skull, bruises already sprouting there. "I…brought him here…for the sights…" he managed to pant out, still incredibly weak from lack of magic. "It's your fault anyway… We were…about to leave when your stupid little slave attacked me…"

Yami growled and suddenly slapped Bakura across the face as hard as he could muster, easily bringing unshed tears to the demon's eyes and leaving behind prints. He seized Bakura's chin and snapped the demon's head up, forcing him to look into his eyes. _"Look, _Bakura. If you hadn't brought yourself here you wouldn't be in this mess. I _told _you, time and _time again, _not to show yourself here until your assignment _ended."_

Yami pushed Bakura away, who wobbled dangerously, both from lack of magic and from blood loss. The king seemed to ponder something for a long time before suddenly hissing, and flinging out a hand at the demon. A sharp wave of magic struck Bakura clean in the chest, knocking him over.

"K-Kura!" Ryou screamed, running closer to the pair, a sob coming from him as he was jerked back by the scruff of his shirt by the demon king. "L-Let me go!"

Yami ignored the child, gripping his arm tightly, glaring down at Bakura. "I ought to take him away from you for endangering him like this. You finally get my approval and here you are making stupid and careless mistakes."

"N-No…" Bakura gasped out weakly, struggling to sit up on his own, jolting and shaking from the assault of magic. "L-Leave…him out of this…"

"Lemme _go!" _Ryou sobbed out, managing to free himself and practically fleeing to the fallen demon. He made it to the man's side and crouched down next to the man. He sat there for a second before Yami suddenly growled, his anger snapping. Summoning his magic again, the demon king took a step forward and pooled his power, lashing out at Bakura over and over again, giving no mercy.

Bakura shrieked and his eyes had squeezed shut, his back arched harshly and his wings pulling close to him, as if for protection. Over and over the magic struck him, such as if he was being struck with a whip. He could vaguely hear Ryou's cries pooling with his own screams.

Ryou didn't know what to do. He sat there at Bakura's side, crying out loudly for Yami to stop. A line of visible magic was repeatedly beating into Bakura's flesh, bringing forth blood and tears. Ryou reached out to touch his other and screamed loudly, bringing his hand back, feeling as if he had just been electrocuted. The aftershock was caused by the pool of magic simmering on Bakura's skin.

Suddenly, a choked sound left the snowy-haired demon and Bakura fell silent. Upon the next blow Bakura suddenly toppled backwards, the demon's eyes suddenly rolling back and he was beginning to convulse violently; a sight that vaguely resembled a seizure.

Ryou scrambled as close as he could, hovering worriedly over Bakura, concerned at the blood that was pouring out of him and the huge, electrifying jolts that were ripping through his battered body. Bakura suddenly started to cough, getting a mixture of saliva and blood upon himself, the previous whites of his eyes suddenly going yellow.

Ryou cried out suddenly, worry starting to eat him alive. Over and over the child tried to touch his precious demon, who merely continued to lay there, sharp breaths leaving through him as he began to convulse more, incoherent phrases leaving him. Still, Ryou didn't give up; the magic was beginning to attack him when he tried to do this, however, and it wasn't long before Ryou's hand was split and bleeding.

Ryou looked at the pair of demons standing behind him, a clenching in his heart when he noticed Yami carelessly walking away. Yuugi was still standing there, his eyes glimmering as he watched wordlessly. Desperate now, knowing something was greatly wrong, Ryou began to scream. "You gotta come back and help him! Help him! _Help!" _Ryou sobbed, looking back down at the demon, who was starting to choke, blood beginning to eliminate his ability to breathe. "_Help him!"_

"He deserves it." Yami spat coldly, not even turning around and merely continuing to walk away. "He broke the rules and now he has to pay."

Ryou managed to grab Bakura's hand, setting his jaw. The magic buried itself into his skin, splitting apart the little one's flesh and making it bleed. And the longer he held on the worse it got.

"R-R… Ry…" Bakura choked, managing to slur out the beginning of Ryou's name, his eyes, yellowing and dull, fluttering violently as he tried to look at Ryou. "L-L… Lo…ve… y-y… y-you…"

"Don't say that!" Ryou suddenly screamed, struggling as he managed to reach out and take Bakura's face into his hands, biting back a shriek as his already shredded hands got further damage, smearing blood all over Bakura's face. "You're gonna be okay, y-you are… Y-You're gonna be fine…"

Even as he said this, Ryou did not believe his own words. Bakura was deathly pale and the sweat that had been previously pouring down his face was gone. His eyes were darkening rapidly and blood was spilling from his lips like a waterfall.

Ryou jumped violently when he felt something touch him. He whirled to find himself face-to-face with Yuugi, the demon king's subordinate. "G-Go away…" Ryou muttered, looking back down at the rapidly dying Bakura.

"His body… Is overloaded with negative powers… You gotta get rid of it…" Yuugi spoke softly, his tail suddenly snaking around himself as he lifted a hand that was only a few inches larger than Ryou's. He reached out and pressed his clawed hand atop of Bakura's ribcage, hovering over his heart. The boy frowned and suddenly pressed himself against Ryou for balance, closing his eyes. "'Cause if you don't get rid of all the bad energy… It's gonna eliminate his good and shut him down… And kill him inside out…"

Ragged pants and soft sounds that vaguely resembled whines continuously left Bakura as the smaller demon suddenly dug his claws into his chest, pulling forth the energy that had been crushed into his body. It left Bakura in a barely noticeable amethyst glow, Yuugi easily pulling it up and out of Bakura's bruised and battered body, as if it was all connected to a string.

"R… Ry…ou…" Bakura groaned out, his head pounding as he struggled to move. His body screeched in agony as he tried to do so, practically every cell feeling like it was on fire due to the assault of dark magic.

"I'm here… I'm here Kura…" Ignorant of his blistered and shredded skin that was still practically dripping blood, Ryou reached out and took Bakura's hand in his own. The demon's was sweaty and shaking violently about his, which was small and bloody, and burning in pain, the outer layer of his flesh gone.

"I… I-I'm s-sorry…" Bakura stuttered out, his eyes still that ugly mustard color, now beginning to grow bloodshot as well. "M-Mistake…"

"It's not your fault." Ryou said quietly, his hand shifting in Bakura's own. "You didn't know this was gonna happen…"

For a few minutes there was silence, merely the sound of Bakura's weak but rapid breathing and an occasional sniff or two from Ryou. Yuugi suddenly spoke up, his head tilting to one side, "Blood makes him heal faster."

Ryou bit his lip and felt a flutter in his gut at this; last time he had offered himself up caused more trouble than before. Still… This time was worse, wasn't it?

Ryou rose slightly and held his hand, which was still bleeding, out towards Bakura. The demon's eyes were closed but Ryou saw his head move, showing he could smell it. Then Bakura's eyes cracked open and blinked once, the man's head moving in a pathetic attempt to get to the source, but he was too weak.

Yuugi moved back a little, having finished up, and merely watched to see what would happen next. Ryou moved closer to Bakura's face, seating himself so he was even with Bakura's shoulder blade. Bakura suddenly whined and Ryou carefully held his hand out so it was just before Bakura's face. The demon's tongue moved then, and Bakura whined softly, licking at Ryou's hand, almost like that of a dog. He weakly drank the blood that had collected on the little one's hand, soft whines occasionally leaving him, for it not only quenched his thirst, but he didn't feel so weak anymore.

He drank at the cuts until they stopped bleeding due to his actions and then put his skull back down against the ground and looked up at Ryou, his eyes glassy and almost begging. Ryou knew what he wanted: more.

"R… Ryou…" Bakura's voice was weak and pleading, and his ugly eyes met Ryou's. "P-Please…"

Ryou didn't know what to do. Then, after some thought, extended his untouched hand towards Bakura's face, expecting Bakura to bite his hand. However, Bakura didn't; he moved higher and sank his fangs into a spot a little above the main pool of veins in the base of Ryou's wrist.

Ryou cried out softly but did no other form of objection, watching, a bit disgusted as he both watched and felt Bakura drink his blood. The color was slowly coming back to Bakura's cheeks and after some time, his eyes blinked open, and the whites were returning to their normal color.

Slowly, as to not hurt his precious host, Bakura released the grip he had on Ryou's vein and released his arm entirely. Delicately he then suddenly kissed Ryou's arm. Ryou blushed lowly and it faded quickly as he grew confused. Suddenly, the wound sealed up in the blink of an eye, becoming nothing more than a small scratch.

"…Let's go home…" Bakura murmured to Ryou, managing, with Ryou's help, to sit up. His eyes flickered over, noticing Yami standing quite a distance away, Yuugi, the king's assistant, skipping off to reunite with him after helping Bakura. Vaguely Bakura heard the king hiss in disgust at the fact Yuugi had helped out, but the smaller one merely apologized and didn't seem to regret a thing.

Bakura suddenly held his arms open, welcoming Ryou there. The growing seven-year-old slowly but surely curled up against Bakura, and squeezed his eyes shut, knowing the upcoming travel was going to be rough.

"…We're not coming back here again, Ryou…" Bakura said, resting his chin atop Ryou's head lovingly as he closed his eyes. "I think that's been enough danger for us to last a lifetime…"

"Uh-huh." Ryou murmured softly back, nuzzling the demon. "I-I'm glad you're safe…"

"Me too… Me too…" Bakura said quietly in reply, focusing on pooling his magic to send them back. He realized quickly he had just enough to perform that task and nothing else. So when he got back… He'd probably be stuck in slumber for days to regain all he had lost.

Sucking in a sharp breath Bakura began to travel, holding Ryou tight in his arms. Due to his lack of power on his round the journey was slower and hurt both of boy's bodies more due to the strain. By the time they had made it back, Bakura having transported to Ryou's apartment, Ryou had fallen unconscious. He was nothing more than a little human boy; he could not handle high-level magic situations and travel like Bakura could.

With an exhausted smile Bakura managed to spread his wings and drift to the sofa. He carefully laid Ryou down on his back, the little one out stone cold.

Bakura managed to smile; his wings suddenly fluttered and grew stiff with lifelessness. Suddenly Bakura crumpled and fell, his knees unable to hold him up. He fell like a rock to the floorboards below, and, instead of floating this round, actually hit the floor head-on as he collapsed. Seconds later his wings drifted to the ground and folded over him like a black blanket. He joined a state just like Ryou's, neither of the two males able to hold themselves up anymore at the moment, both retreating to a dark world to recollect their strength.

Although the time spent there for them was surely different.

* * *

Chapter 15: End.


End file.
